


Vodka Sunrise

by aceAdoxography, AllDaveKat



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Coming In Pants, Demisexual Karkat Vantas, Drinking Games, Drunken Confessions, Embarrassment, First Dates, Getting Together, Humanstuck, Insecurity, M/M, Mutual Pining, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Premature Ejaculation, Roleplay Logs, Shower Sex, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:42:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 57,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23708581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceAdoxography/pseuds/aceAdoxography, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllDaveKat/pseuds/AllDaveKat
Summary: The power goes out in Dave and Karkat's dorm and they play Truth or Drinks to pass the time.
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas
Comments: 53
Kudos: 445
Collections: Dave "Cums His Pants" Strider





	1. Power Outage

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a roleplay on the [Strilondes RP Jamz discord server](https://discord.gg/y2b9Eu2).

When Dave moves into his college dorm, he doesn’t realize he’s signing up to live right across the hall from the loudest guy on earth, also known as Karkat Vantas. 

Karkat is shrill, nosey, overly opinionated, and obnoxious as all hell. Until he isn’t. Well, _Karkat_ doesn’t change at all, but after a couple weeks Dave ends up developing an easy familiarity with him. An affection, even. If Dave’s pressed to admit it, yeah, he actually kinda likes the guy. 

Sure, Karkat has a lot of annoying traits, but Dave can tell that he’s all-around a really decent person. He’s fiercely protective of his new college friend group, of which Dave is apparently a member, judging by the way Karkat’s always hassling him to remember to eat dinner and study and shit. He’s always willing to stay up late with someone to help them cram for a test or finish an essay, even if he grumbles about it the whole time. And he unashamedly watches his shitty rom-coms on the big-screen TV in the common room. Dave can’t help but have some respect for that.

They hang out together all the time, Karkat practically a fixture in Dave’s day, although it’s usually with a bunch of other people around. They study together in a group, and often go down to eat meals in the dining hall at the same time, again usually in a group. All in all, Dave doesn’t really pay any more attention to Karkat than he does his other new friends. 

Then, one morning, everything changes.

Dave gets up to take a piss, slipping his flip-flops on, leaving his shades on his bedside table, and walking sleepily to the communal bathroom. Someone’s taking a shower and he ignores them, going straight to the urinals. As he’s washing his hands, he glances in the mirror. He’s got a view of the showers, and the occupied stall has its curtain pushed aside slightly. Before he can tell his bi ass to stop perving on his floormate, his eyes land on the guy’s fantastic, amazing, gorgeous masterpiece of an ass. He can’t tell who he is, he’s facing away from Dave, rinsing his hair, so Dave’s eyes linger on that ass, then travel up and down the rest of the body, admiring him. Damn, who is this hottie? 

Then the guy starts to turn around and Dave catches a glimpse of his profile. His eyes widen as he realizes it’s _Karkat_ , and he snaps his gaze away quickly, shutting off the water and rushing out of the bathroom.

That was three weeks ago, and Dave still can’t stop thinking about it. 

Every time he sees Karkat during a study session, or in the dining hall, his cheeks flush and blood rushes to other areas as well, as the memory of Karkat’s ass flashes before his eyes. It doesn’t help that he’s been noticing other things too, like Karkat’s cute grumpy little pout, his soft-looking hair, and his laugh when he’s caught off guard by something funny. One time Karkat yawns and stretches, his sweatshirt lifting to reveal several inches of his stomach, and Dave knocks over a glass of water in panic. 

Right now, Dave’s lounging on his bed, scrolling through Twitter even though he really should be studying, and daydreaming about Karkat’s ass yet a-fucking-gain. His roommate Sollux is deep into some coding project and totally ignoring him, and Dave lets himself get lost in his fantasy, half-closing his eyes and trying to imagine what Karkat might do if Dave just asked to cop a feel of his excellent badonk. Probably he’d slap Dave in the face. Ugh, but that would still be _hot_. Dave holds in a groan. What is _wrong_ with him?

All of a sudden, the overhead lights flicker and go out, and the loud hum of his roommate’s oversized computer shuts off, leaving them both in confused silence.

Sollux curses. “Fuck, I wa’th right in the middle of th’omething!”

“Sucks, bro,” Dave sympathizes. 

He gets up and wanders out into the hallway, confirming with his floormates that yes, everyone’s power _did_ go out, and yes it probably _is_ a blackout. The R.A. comes out of their room after a few minutes and tells everyone that the utility company is aware of the issue, but unfortunately the power probably won’t be back on until early tomorrow morning.

Dave pulls out his phone to check the time, it’s only 8 pm. Shit, he guesses he should try and eat whatever’s in his fridge before it goes bad.

It seems like everyone else has a similar idea, because after he grabs his frozen bagel bites, heading into the common room to use the microwave, he sees that it’s packed with people. Everyone on his floor seems to be there, and most have brought food with them. Someone’s passing around spoons and tubs of ice cream; another person brought a few bags of Doritos to share, which are definitely not a perishable item, but whatever, Dave won’t complain about free Doritos. A couple people are surreptitiously passing bottles around, and holy shit, where did his floormates get all this liquor? He’s pretty sure all of them are underage by, like, several years.

The R.A. takes one look at the party quickly forming in the common room and sighs, turning around and heading back into their room. Oh, so it’s gonna be _that_ kind of night. Dave grins.

Someone offers him a bottle of vodka and he isn’t about to refuse. He opens it up and takes a sip. Ugh, so fucking gross. He snags a bag of Doritos, and then his eyes land on Karkat across the room. He smirks, because he’s _never_ seen anyone look so goddamn uncomfortable in a beanbag chair before. Karkat looks so grumpy and cute, and it’s making it a little hard for Dave to breathe. He saunters over and takes the beanbag next to Karkat. 

“Hey, ‘Kat, some party huh?” Dave says, taking a too-large swig from his bottle and coughing violently. When he’s able to speak again, he croaks out, “Hope you weren’t planning on getting any work done tonight.”

So smooth. God, he’s fucked.

Karkat’s college experience thus far is turning out better than he could have ever imagined. High school fucking sucked, but college is so much better. Most of the people here seem like they actually want to learn, for one thing, and obsessive popularity is a thing of the past. And he has real, actual friends here. Who actually like him, for some reason.

One of these people is Sollux, who is a fucking asshole on a good day, which is probably why they get along. He stays in the room directly across from Karkat and his roommate is Dave Strider, which is a Problem.

Because Dave is _hot_. He’s tall and lithe, with freckles splattered across his skin, only disappearing under mysterious scars. Karkat thinks he’s a douche at first, because he keeps a poker face and wears sunglasses indoors, but it turns out he’s got sensitive as fuck eyes. And the first time Karkat sees him smile... that's it, it’s over.

Dave isn’t into him, though, and Karkat refuses to be a creep about this. So he bundles his feelings up and pushes them so far down he almost forgets about them, most of the time. He hangs out with Dave in their shared friend group, and very occasionally one-on-one, and it’s fine.

A couple months pass, and Karkat gets over it. It’s not the first time he’s gotten a crush on a boy who’s out of his league and it won’t be the last. It’s not the end of the world.

Then one day out of nowhere Dave starts acting weird. Karkat thinks it might just be a fluke, but it continues for weeks. He doesn’t know what’s going on and it’s not obvious enough to call him out on it, but Karkat is kind of concerned.

He thinks Dave might be pissed at him, because he avoids looking at him and talking to him sometimes. But others he’ll go out of his way to strike up a conversation and Karkat isn’t sure what to make of it. He might be being paranoid, but he sometimes feels like Dave is staring at him when he isn’t looking.

He thinks that Dave might have found out about his crush, but even if he did, why would he care? It’s over now anyway, and he _knows_ Dave isn’t homophobic. His brother _and_ sister are both gay as fuck, and he talks about how fucking bisexual he is all the damn time.

But whatever. Dave will either confront him or he won’t. And Karkat has other things to contend with in the meantime.

College, while exponentially better than high school, is still stressful as fuck. Karkat is taking one too many classes this semester and has to juggle them while still looking after his idiot friends.

He’s slamming an energy drink at 8pm and clacking out an essay. It might be incomprehensible gibberish for all he knows, but it’s due at midnight and he completely forgot about it until half an hour ago.

Then the power goes out and, with it, Karkat’s hope for a good grade.

“FUCK!” he yells, burying his hands in his hair. Why does this shit always happen to him?

He takes a breath and tries to calm down. His professor might give him an extension if he begs. It’s worth a shot, in any case.

He stands and makes his way to the common room for lack of anything else to do. Everyone else had the same idea, and Karkat finds himself jostled into a beanbag chair. He slumps into it and tries not to think about how undoubtedly unflattering he must look in it.

Then Dave is plopping down into the beanbag beside him, taking a swig of vodka and coughing like he’s never tasted it before. Karkat rolls his eyes.

“I’ve accepted my fate, Strider,” he says, crossing his arms. He’s not pouting, he’s not. “The universe has decided my essay goes unfinished.”

He looks Dave over. He’s a little flushed, and grinning, and Karkat reaches out and snags the vodka from him. He takes a swig; it burns going down, but he’s had worse. He passes the bottle back and sinks further into the stupid squishy beanbag.

“Were you in the middle of anything important?” he asks.

“Nah,” Dave says, swirling the bottle around carelessly. “Not that I don’t have shit I should be workin’ on, or anything, cause oh boy do I. I’ve just been too busy tryin’ to amass an impressive Twitter following. Gotta retweet only the choicest anime titty gifs for my discerning followers.”

He takes another swig, a little smoother this time, thank god, then he stuffs the vodka bottle between his legs to hold it upright so it won’t spill. He opens his Doritos and grabs a handful, stuffing them in his face and moaning happily, licking the cheesy dust off his fingers. 

As an afterthought, he waves the bag under Karkat’s nose as an offering.

“Wan’ some?” he asks with his mouth full.

There are times when Karkat can tell if Dave is joking and this is not one of them. He absolutely would not put it past him to have such a twitter. He watches Dave shove doritos in his mouth like he’s starving and valiantly ignores the moan he lets out. He absolutely does not stare as Dave licks his fingers like any speck of gross cheese dust would be a waste.

“Uh…” Karkat says. He focuses on the half chewed food very visible when Dave talks and wrinkles his nose. He can’t believe he used to like him. “No, I’m good.”

He leans back in his beanbag. “You probably need it more than me anyway. You’re such a fucking lightweight.”

He stretches and his shoulders pop. “I’m not holding your hair back if you puke.”

He has no doubt that, if Dave ends up puking, he will indeed be right there holding his hair back, or whatever the short-haired version of that is. Rubbing his back? Whatever. It won’t be the first time Karkat’s taken care of one of his drunken friends.

God, Karkat’s so fucking cute. He stretches and the hem of his shirt lifts up, and Dave’s never been more glad to have his eyes hidden because he couldn’t look away if his life depended on it.

“You mean, _when_ I puke.” Dave points two cheese-dust-tipped finger guns at Karkat, winking behind his shades. “Can already tell ‘s probably gonna be that kinda night. Look’it how much booze these assholes on our floor brought by, can you believe it? Someone just handed me this fuckin’ bottle for free, what the fuck.”

He takes another sip and hands the vodka back to Karkat, because he’s already starting to get a little spinny. His hand brushes against Karkat’s and he flushes; his poker face is absolutely trashed already--though it usually is around Karkat anyway, he’ll admit.

“You been on any dates lately?” he asks, out of the fucking blue like a tool. “Uh, I just mean-- I know last time we talked you were trying out Hinge, did you meet anybody through it yet?”

Dave’s stupid fucking finger guns are too endearing, what the fuck. He takes the bottle back and takes another big swig; it takes a decent amount to get him drunk. Dave’s face is a little pink when he brings the bottle back down and fuck, he’s really attractive. Karkat can admit that without having feelings for the guy.

“Oh, uh,” Karkat says, taken off guard. “I went on a couple dates, yeah. They were all shit, unsurprisingly. I fucking hate dating apps.”

He’d been on exactly two dates before deleting the app. The first turned out to just want a hookup--which, look, okay, Karkat isn’t exactly _opposed_ to that, but the romantic part of him balks at the idea. And the romantic part of him is the majority, so it typically wins.

The second guy had been… okay. He wasn’t bad, but he was bland, and Karkat wants more than that. It didn’t help that Karkat had been in a particularly ranty mood, either. He can never keep his fucking mouth shut, apparently.

“God this vodka is fucking vile,” he says after taking another drink. “What about you, though? Anyone you’re interested in?”

If he sounds casual and disinterested it’s because he is. He totally is.

Dave isn’t prepared for the surge of jealousy he feels when Karkat mentions going on a couple dates. He almost sighs in relief when Karkat says they were shitty. Which is so fucking awful of him, seriously, he should be _happy_ for his friend. Just because he’d like to be dating him instead, doesn’t mean he’s allowed to get all pissy if Karkat finds someone else, someone who he’s actually interested in.

Because seriously, there is no fucking way in hell Karkat likes Dave back. Karkat’s into classic romance and like, grand gestures and shit, and Dave is… fucking pointing finger guns at him and talking about anime tits. As much as he wishes he could be Karkat’s type, he knows it’s no use. He’s just Like This, and that’s the way it is. It’s okay, though, he can just keep admiring Karkat from afar, jerking off to thoughts of his beautiful ass, daydreaming about kissing him… Yeah, he’s fine. It’s fine. Everything is fucking great.

Oh, right. Usually when you ask someone a question, they ask you back. Shit. Dave did not have an answer prepared for this.

“Uh, I guess there’s one guy,” he hedges. “But he’s definitely not into me, so. ‘S okay, though, it’d be wrong to tie this--” he gestures at himself “--down to one man anyway. The Strider swagger deserves to be shared around like spinach dip at a hot moms’ book club.”

Karkat’s stomach drops to his feet when Dave says he’s interested in someone and he mentally berates himself. He’s supposed to be _over_ this. Dave made it really fucking clear right at the beginning that someone like Karkat isn’t his type, and that’s _fine_.

“Right,” he says, clearing his throat. He thinks the alcohol might finally be getting to him, which is fucking fantastic considering the turn this conversation has taken. “Think of all the hearts you’d be breaking when you announced that you’re finally off the market. The streets would flood with tears of weeping men and women both. We’d have to invest in gondolas, and where the fuck are we supposed to get an abundance of those?”

Okay yeah, the vodka is definitely affecting him now. What the fuck is he even talking about? Oh, right, Dave being interested in someone.

“You sure he doesn’t like you back though?” He asks. Not that he _wants_ this mystery guy to return Dave’s affections, but… “With the way you brag, you’d think you could sweep anyone off their feet.”

Dave grins, even as he’s moping over his depressing love life, because fuck, Karkat is adorable, rambling away like that. Dave really likes him. God dammit. Cute, hot, sweet _and_ funny, what _can’t_ he do?

The fairly small amount of alcohol Dave’s had is making him sloppy, and he flops back in his beanbag, staring up at the ceiling and running his hands through his hair. 

“Yeah, pretty fuckin’ sure,” he admits. “I’m just really not his type, is all. Also, it may shock you to hear that although I talk a big game, I don’t usually score. Shit, it’s been a good few months since I’ve gotten any action at all. Like I said, it’s probably all the long hours I put into my Twitter career, I don’t have any time left for handing out free tickets to the Strider Ride to everyone on campus.”

Why is he telling Karkat this? Who knows. Not like he’s got any kind of reputation to uphold with him, he guesses, Karkat already knows he’s a walking disaster. That’s another thing he likes about the guy, the fact that he can just be himself around him, and not worry about like, trying to front or anything. Karkat likes him for who he is. As a friend, of course.

Dave sighs audibly. 

“Know what sucks? Being single. Being single fuckin’ sucks.”

He sits up again and grabs the bottle from Karkat. He’s probably overdoing it, but, fuck it. He tilts the bottle and takes another swallow of this barely-better-than-rat-poison swill. It doesn’t have to taste good as long as it does the job, right?

Karkat watches, concerned, as Dave takes another drink. He’s seen Dave drink before and he can get absolutely trashed on so little alcohol it’s frankly amazing. He reaches out and takes the bottle, setting it aside for now.

“Maybe take it easy, lightweight,” he says. “The vodka isn’t going anywhere and we’ve got all night, apparently.”

He glances around the room. People have started to get settled in, taking up places on the couches and spilling out onto the floor. He thinks there might be a drinking game going on. The common room has emptied out a bit, with people returning to their own rooms. He doubts the power will come back on until morning, at least.

He should probably head back to his room and get some sleep; he has a class in the morning. But when he looks back at Dave, with his pink face and morose expression, he thinks _fuck it_. He can miss a single class.

“Fuck being single,” he agrees. “But good for you, taking one for the fuckin team. God forbid your masses of twitter followers not see their daily dose of anime tiddies. Who knows what they’d do without it?”

He doesn’t know what he’s saying. His head is starting to feel pleasantly fuzzy and he just wants Dave to smile at him again.

Dave lets Karkat take his bottle away with a pout. It’s probably for the best, considering he’s already way past tipsy and settling into drunk-town. 

He grabs his plate of bagel bites, which he’d forgotten in favor of the booze and Doritos. Mmmm. Delicious microwaved fake mini-pizzas. Whoever came up with the idea of combining pizza and bagels was, frankly, a motherfucking genius. Dave thinks he might be saying some of this out loud, through mouthfuls of cheesy bagel-y goodness. Normally he’s embarrassed to be caught mumbling about shit, but he does it around Karkat so often that he can’t bring himself to care anymore. 

He grins at Karkat’s comments. “Yeah, I’m fuckin’ doin’ god’s work out here, givin’ the people what they need. What they _deserve_. ‘S worth it, even if it means I gotta spend every night with my own left hand.”

He mimes jerking off, in case Karkat didn’t get the joke. Yeah, he might be pretty significantly drunk now.

Karkat will deny it to his dying day but he giggles when Dave makes the jerkoff motion with his hand. Dave’s smiling at him again, even if it is through a mouthful of half-chewed pizza. Karkat snags one for himself and pops it in his mouth. It’s not too awful.

He washes it down with another swig of vodka, which is tasting much less vile right about now. He sticks his tongue out at Dave when he’s done, putting the bottle back out of his reach. Dave takes another bite of his tiny pizzas and mumbles.... Something. Karkat doesn’t catch it, but it’s probably stupid.

He leans over--which is a feat, considering this fucking beanbag chair seems to be trying to eat him whole--and covers Dave’s mouth with his hand.

“I swear to god if you don’t stop talking with your mouth full I’m gonna sew it shut,” he says. He pulls his hand back before Dave can do something stupid like lick it. Karkat wouldn’t be able to survive that.

…

Because it’s gross. Yeah. That, and no other reason.

Dave watches Karkat drink down some more vodka, unable to take his eyes off his throat bobbing and swallowing. Fuck. He always forgets how alcohol makes him extra horny, god dammit. That’s really _not_ what he needs right now. Karkat sticking his tongue out at him does not help the problem, and Dave shifts in his beanbag, hoping his half-chub isn’t visibly broadcasting his interest to Karkat and the entire rest of the room.

He must have been mumbling, because Karkat claps a hand over his mouth and threatens him for talking with his mouth full. Karkat’s palm is warm against his mouth, and he can smell his soapy clean Karkat-y smell. Dave considers licking his hand, but Karkat moves it away before he can do it. 

He swallows his mouthful of food and sticks his tongue right back out at Karkat instead. Two can play at being immature children.

Dave polishes off the rest of his bagel bites, feeling a little better with the food in his stomach. Still solidly drunk, but less dizzy and light-headed. He sets his plate aside. What to do now… His feet and hands are restless, tapping at the ground and at his sides.

“I’m bored, Karkat,” he whines, stretching out his long legs and plopping them in Karkat’s lap, completely ignoring any concept of personal space. “Entertain meeeee.”

Dave’s legs are miles long and that’s only highlighted when he stretches them across the space between them. His legs are warm on Karkat’s lap and Karkat’s hands find their way to his calves instinctively.

“And what exactly do you expect me to do?” he asks. He thinks he might be slurring just a little bit. “Is my _sparkling_ personality not enough for your ADD? I could tell you about the latest novel I'm reading, but the romance might make you spew.”

He might be being a bit too snarky. Dave’s thin legs are warm and solid beneath his hands and it’s weirdly grounding. He shoots Dave a grin, suddenly glad the power went out. He and Dave very rarely ever hang out one on one.

Karkat’s hands on his legs are warm and cozy, he’s full and drunk and content. 

“I must be pretty drunk or bored ‘cus that actually sounds appealing. Go ahead, tell me all about it, I’m listening.” He gives Karkat an encouraging smile.

Being given permission, Karkat goes off about the romance novel for the next twenty minutes or so. Then Dave talks his ear off about the movie he watched a couple nights ago. At some point Dave gets up to piss and comes back with a notebook and pen he finds abandoned in the hallway, and they end up giggling and drawing dicks all over it. Karkat makes Dave drink some water, and Dave teases him for being such a mom friend.

It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, but the next time Dave looks up around the room, it’s nearly empty. There’s a guy passed out on one of the couches, but everyone else seems to have gone back to their rooms. 

Dave checks his phone, it’s almost 2 am. Holy shit, when did _that_ happen?

“Dude, it’s so late,” he laughs, showing Karkat the time. “Hey, wanna go up on the roof? I’ve been up there a couple times in the middle of the night, and it’s actually got a really sick view of the city.”


	2. Truth or Drinks

Karkat keeps sipping at the vodka while he and Dave talk, determined to keep his buzz going. He gets both himself and Dave water bottles at some point, and insists Dave drink it even when Dave teases him relentlessly for it. Karkat’s won the genetic lottery when it comes to hangovers--in return for having shit looks, probably--and can drink pretty much anything without feeling it the next day. Dave is not so lucky.

“The roof?” he repeats, confused. “Won’t it be locked?”

He stands up anyway, swaying a little. He grabs the vodka and their waters. He usually keeps track of how many shots he’s done, and he doesn’t know how to translate that into the bottle being a little more than half empty. Was it full when Dave got it? He’s not sure.

He follows Dave to a door tucked off to the side that leads to a staircase. His free hand finds its way to Dave’s shoulder while they climb the stairs, making sure Dave doesn’t fall. He’s a bit wobbly. They reach the second landing and Karkat pauses.

“Wait here,” he says, pushing the bottles into Dave’s arm. He heads to his room and grabs his pillows and strips his bed of the comforter. His roommate wakes up and grumbles at him but Karkat flips him off.

He makes his way back to Dave and shoots him a grin, prize bundled in his arms.

“Might as well be comfortable,” He says.

“Yeah, they close up the roof at night but the lock is a joke, I can jimmy it with my ID card,” Dave explains.

He leads them up the stairs, biting down on a sappy little smile when Karkat touches him on the shoulder to hold him steady. 

Karkat tells him to wait, shoves the bottles into his arms, and comes back a few minutes later with a blanket. This time Dave _does smile_ , because Karkat’s grinning at him and it looks like a goddamn sunrise. His heart flips over in his chest, he can’t help it, he’s so fucking gay for this kid.

“Hell yeah, let’s get all cozy up in this bitch,” he cheers. 

They make their way up the rest of the stairs, and Dave slides his ID card into the crack at the side of the door. It takes a couple tries in his drunken, clumsy state, but he manages to unlock it, and pulls the door open for Karkat like a gentleman, bowing to him and waving him on through.

He takes a good long look at Karkat’s ass as he passes by, drinking it down like a tall glass of sweet tea on a hot Texas day. Somehow he remembers to prop the door open with a brick so he won’t have to unlock it again later.

“Let’s set up over here,” he says, showing Karkat his favorite spot on the roof. 

It’s in the corner, right above the parking lot, and it has a gorgeous view of the city. From here, he can see tall buildings in the distance, the red moving lights of cars driving down the interstate, and a few boats docked in a wide part of the river that runs through the city. 

The sky is dark, and hazy with smog, making it impossible to see any stars, aside from a couple really bright ones that may or may not just be airplanes. Dave’s a little too out of it to tell right now.

He sits down next to Karkat on the blanket, nudging him with his shoulder. “Whatcha think? Pretty neat, huh?”

Dave picks the lock, which is not a talent Karkat was aware he had, and bows him through the doorway. He rolls his eyes at the display but his lips quirk up anyway.

He spreads the blanket out and tosses the pillows down. He eyes Dave, making sure he sits down without falling over before he turns his gaze out to the city below.

“Wow,” he says. It’s actually… really nice up here. It’s a tiny bit chilly, but Karkat’s got on one of his comfy sweaters. Dave is wearing a thin shirt though. Oh well, that’s what the blanket is for. He can barely hear the noise of the city up here, the sounds turning ambient. He takes a seat next to Dave, too far apart to be touching. “It’s pretty. You come up here a lot?”

He turns his head and sees Dave still has on his dumb sunglasses. He rolls his eyes again, reaches out, and flicks him gently on the nose. “Take those stupid things off. How can you even see anything out of them right now?”

“Psh, I’m a Strider, I don’t need to do basic bitch shit like _seein’_ things properly. Anyway, y’re gonna have ta get me a little more drunk if you wanna see me strip down t’night, darlin’,” he says, exaggerating his accent so it sounds extra southern and seductive.

As drunk as he was earlier, Dave can feel he’s actually sobering up a little, after all that water Karkat made him chug. He’s not ready for this night to end, and he eyes the half-empty vodka bottle.

“Hey,” he pokes Karkat in the cheek.

He picks up the bottle of vodka and sets it in between them purposefully.

“Truth or drinks. I’ll go first, hit me with your best shot.”

Dave’s overdone southern drawl has Karkat’s stomach flipping over itself. He feels blood rush north and south and tries to pull himself together. He bats away Dave’s hand poking his cheek.

“Truth or drinks? Fuck, okay.”

He looks up at the sky, just to avoid staring at Dave. It’s probably a good thing he kept the shades on, honestly. Karkat’s seen him without them a total of one time, early in the morning, and nearly tripped over himself.

“Uhh…” he tries to think. “What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?”

He fully expects Dave to wuss out and take a drink. Maybe he should have started with something easier.

Dave answers, rapid fire, not even having to think about it. “Two years ago. Houston, Texas. Ate a several-day-old burrito I’d been hoarding in my closet, and shit my pants in the middle of a crowded bus on my way to school. Had to get on _another_ bus back home, covered in doodoo, so I could shower and change clothes. Ended up missing the whole day of classes anyway cause I was stuck on the toilet the rest of the day.”

He’s glad he can joke about it now, because at the time it was… truly fucking horrifying. Bro saw him come home before he could get in the shower, and Dave swears it’s the hardest he’s ever seen the guy laugh.

“Damn, that was too easy, you gotta go harder on me next time,” he smirks. “All right, because I’m too drunk to be fuckin’ original, what’s the most embarrassing thing _you’ve_ ever done?”

Karkat bursts into laughter. He can’t fucking help it. He hides his face in his hands, shoulders shaking, trying to muffle the ugly sound. Holy shit, what the fuck, that sounds _terrible_.

“Oh my fucking god,” he says, after he calms down. “Jesus christ. Why would you even keep a burrito in your closet. Holy shit.”

He takes a few deep breaths. He tries to think about the most embarrassing thing he’s done, but it’s hard when every second of his existence is an embarrassment.

“God, nothing I say can compare to that,” he admits. “Okay so like. There was this girl I had a crush on in high school. And in true high school gossip bullshit it got around to her that I liked her and she put this cutesy fucking note in my locker telling me to meet her after school. So I did, and long story short she and her little friend group ended up laughing at me when I asked her out.”

He shrugs, remembering the shame. “She was a bitch but she was also out of my league. Fuck high school, right?”

“Damn, that sucks,” Dave sympathizes. “And yeah, fuck high school. That girl’s not only a bitch, she’s an idiot, too. You’re such a fuckin’ catch, man, she doesn’t know what she’s missin’. Look at your, like, biceps and shit.”

He reaches out and squeezes Karkat’s arm. Karkat’s short and he’s also fuckin’ _stacked_. It’s a deadly cute-hot combo that makes Dave’s heart go doki and his pee pee get hard on the daily.

He feels Karkat’s muscle flex under his touch, and flusters, pulling his hand away and flushing slightly. He hopes Karkat didn’t notice...

“Ok, ask me another, come on. A _hard_ one this time, I wanna actually get drunk.” He watches Karkat expectantly, idly playing with the bottle between them.

Dave grabs Karkat’s arm and he blushes so hard he feels dizzy. He weight lifts and shit now, as a way to work out his anger issues, and he’s built up a decent amount of muscle because of it. Not that it makes up for all his other flaws but it’s… something, he guesses.

“This may come as a surprise to you but I haven’t always looked like this,” he deadpans. Karkat appreciates the attempt to cheer him up, but he and Dave both know he’s nowhere near ‘a fuckin’ catch.’

He tries to think of another question, but all that’s coming to mind are the cliche ones he’s seen in movies, and he doesn’t think that’s what Dave means.

“I’m putting a rule in place that says you can’t ask the same question,” he says. “But you want a hard question? What’s the one thing you’d never want anyone to know to know about you?”

Oh, damn, that’s a good one. And he can’t ask it back to Karkat afterward? No fuckin’ fair. But Dave’s nothing if not consistently willing to step up to arbitrary, ridiculous challenges, so he agrees to the new rule without argument. 

He thinks for a minute. 

Well. He’s mostly an open fucking book, at least around his friends. The only thing he can really think of that he doesn’t want anyone to know about, is his stupid, terrible crush on the exact guy he’s talking to right now.

And he’s _not_ about to drop that smelly bomb right in the middle of all this chill bro time they’re having. 

So. 

He grabs the bottle and takes a drink.

“Bluh. Alright, you got me. That was a good one. All right, my turn... Oh, okay, what did you think of me when we first met? You gotta describe your first impression of me. In _detail_.” 

This is bound to be hilarious. He knows he and Karkat didn’t get off on the right foot, so Karkat probably has a _lot_ to say about his first impression of Dave. He sits back, ready and eager to be verbally eviscerated.

Dave drinks and Karkat smirks. It was a cheap shot, yeah, but Dave asked for it. Then he asks about Karkat’s first impression of him and. God fucking dammit. This motherfucker.

See, the problem here is that Karkat’s _second_ impression of Dave was that he was the douchiest asshole on the planet. His first impression, however… His first impression was that Dave was fucking gorgeous. He’d seen him with his head thrown back, laughing, arm slung around John’s shoulder, the sun making his hair a white-gold halo around his head.

Then Dave had seen him and his grin had turned into an infuriating smirk that was still somehow just as attractive and--

He’s supposed to be _over_ this.

He eyes the bottle, then takes a long drink. He’s not nearly drunk enough to admit he had (had! _had_!) a crush on Dave Strider.

“Pass,” he says. He has a feeling Dave won’t let this one go, but he can hope.

Wait, Karkat’s drinking on this one? Weird, he’s never passed up a chance to rip Dave a new asshole before. Dave lets it go, but he’s extra curious now that he knows Karkat would rather drink than answer the question. 

Maybe he’ll bug him about it again later. When Karkat’s more drunk. He’s just gotta keep asking him hard questions, get him off his guard.

“Okay, you gotta ask me one now doofus,” he reminds Karkat when he’s finished drinking. “Or are you already so drunk you forgot how this game works?”

Oh shit, right. Fuck. He’s too damn flustered for this right now.

“Shut up, I was thinking,” he says. He clears his throat. Dave has a little smile on his face and it isn’t helping him at all. “When you were a kid what did you wanna be when you grew up? Like, the first thing you can remember wanting, even if it’s not real.”

It’s a stupid question, but it’s the first one that popped into his head. It’s also very far away from the topic of feelings and not at all raunchy, which is just as well.

Dave bites his cheek, thinking. “I wanted to be like my Bro, I guess. So, a DJ? Or, like a rapper or somethin’ cool like that.”

He’s gotta think of something good for Karkat now, something that’ll make him opt to drink for sure. Oh, ok, he’s got a good one. 

“What’s the weirdest porn you’ve ever jerked off to?” 

Karkat huffs. So much for trying to keep it clean. Dave is smirking at him like he’s won something. Karkat crosses his arms.

“Weirdest?” he hums, considering. “I don’t watch porn much. But, probably a… story I read online, about werewolves and lingerie.”

He shrugs, unashamed. There’s so much embarrassing shit he’s ashamed of but somehow his proclivity for romance and/or smutty stories is not one of them.

“My turn, then,” he says. “What’s the worst thing in your search history?”

Damn, that definitely backfired. Karkat didn’t drink, he doesn’t even seem embarrassed at all, and now Dave can’t stop picturing Karkat lying in bed with his phone, reading fucking werewolf panty kink stories and jerking himself off. _Fuck._

He shakes his head, trying unsuccessfully to clear the distracting mental images and calm his dick down. 

Karkat asks him a question about his search history. 

“Uh, one time I spent all day searching techniques for how to build a bomb, and how to kill someone and get away with it, that type of shit, just cause I was curious if the FBI would show up at my door or, like, write me an angry email. They never did, though.” He shakes his head in mock disappointment. “So much for the Patriot Act.”

He racks his brain for something to ask, his eyes tracing over Karkat’s lips until he realizes what he’s doing and jerks his gaze away. 

“...What’s the best sex you’ve ever had?” 

If he’s gonna be stuck in horny hell, he at least wants Karkat to suffer there with him.

Karkat buries his head in his hands. “You’re a menace to society. And my mental health.”

He admits defeat, takes a long drink from the bottle, and gives Dave a glare. He’s not going to describe his sex life to the guy he has a crush on. Doesn’t! Doesn’t have a crush on. God dammit.

But fine, if that’s the way this game is gonna go, so be it.

“Who’s the most inappropriate person you’ve ever fantasized about?”

He bets it’s John. It’s probably John. Or like, some hot teacher Dave had.

Ugh, this question. 

Dave eyes the vodka, and feels his stomach clench at the thought of drinking more right now. God dammit. Okay.

He covers his face with his hands and mumbles, “It was… my older cousin, Roxy.”

He can hear Karkat laughing at him.

“Fuck off, I know, it’s terrible, Southern stereotypes, etc. etc. Please shut the fuck up,” he groans. His cheeks are red. “It’s not like I woulda actually _done_ anything with her!” Karkat’s still laughing. “I was fucking thirteen okay, give me a break.”

To shut Karkat up, he quickly asks, “What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever hooked up with someone?”

Karkat doesn’t bother trying to stifle his laughing this time. Oh, he is totally going to give Dave endless shit about this. Any time Dave says anything even vaguely annoying Karkat is gonna hit him with a ‘hey remember when you fantasized about your cousin?’ and that’s it. This is the best trump card.

Then Dave asks his question and Karkat flushes. He’s definitely more drunk than before. He could drink more, probably. Hell, he could probably finish off the bottle but. Fuck it, right?

“You know the campus co-op?” he asks, reaching up to rub at his neck. “Uh, yeah. Behind there.”

It had been fucking embarrassing and messy and honestly not that great, considering the guy hadn’t even fucking reciprocated but Dave doesn’t have to know that.

“What’s the _worst_ sex you’ve ever had?” he asks.

God dammit, Dave’s never gonna be able to pass by the campus co-op again without thinkin’ about Karkat getting down and dirty behind it. 

Why do all his own questions keep flustering himself instead of Karkat? Stupid game is rigged. He guesses he could just stop asking questions about sex, but… nah. Giving up is for cowards, not Striders.

“Worst sex, hmm.” Dave thinks about it for a long minute. Accessing his memories is a little difficult when he’s this trashed. “Oh, one time I was blowing this guy, and he fucked into my throat too hard and I threw up all over his dick.” 

Yeah, that was nasty. 0/10, would not do again.

New question. “What’s your most embarrassing kink?”

Karkat wrinkles his nose. That sounds fucking traumatic on both sides, jesus.

As for his most embarrassing kink… Well fuck, does he even _have_ an embarrassing kink? He’s listened to Terezi and Eridan and fucking _Jade_ talk about their kinks, and everything he’s into seems to pale in comparison.

“Marks, I guess?” he shrugs. “Biting, hickies, stuff like that where other people can see. Or bondage, maybe. Fuck, my friend group is too horny. Is that shit even considered embarrassing?”

He runs a hand through his hair and the world tilts a little bit. He realizes he is well passed buzzed and into solidly drunk, which is exactly what he was aiming for. He has a distant thought that maybe sober him might not want to talk to Dave about this kind of stuff, but fuck that guy. Sober him is an asshole.

“What’s the most bizarre thing you’ve ever roleplayed sexually?” He asks.

Oh god. Dave puts his hands in his lap to subtly cover his boner, because, holy shit. Karkat begging to be bitten, to be tied up--or to tie someone else up? He’s not sure which way Karkat prefers, he didn’t specify, but either way, fucking _hot_. 

“Hah, yeah, I dunno what’s actually considered embarrassing either. The internet’s basically made us all into kinky perverts on main.”

He watches as Karkat runs a hand through his nest of hair, and it sticks up adorably where he touches it. Dave wants to run his hands through that hair, too.

“Hmm. This one girl asked me to roleplay as her dad one time, that was kind of weird. Like, not just a ‘call me Daddy’ kind of thing, she actually wanted me to act like her specific father. She made me put on his clothes and everything, told me to sit in his easy chair so she could fuck me on it while he was away at work. She was pretty hot, though, so I did it.” 

He shrugs.

“Who’s the most recent person you’ve fantasized about?” he asks.

“That’s… really fucking weird, yeah,” he admits.

He frowns, thinking about Dave’s question. He makes it a point _not_ to think about specific people when he’s jerking off. That way lies madness. But Dave didn’t say that, did he? He asked who he’d fantasized about, which would be… Dave. Dave kissing him, Dave laughing, Dave smirking at him when he inevitably does something stupid. God dammit.

He sighs, taking another drink. The world is starting to spin a bit much so he lays down. It doesn’t help, but sitting back up seems like a monumental effort. He tries to think of another question but his mind is sluggish and hazy.

“What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?” he asks.

Karkat takes a drink for that. Interesting. Must be someone Dave knows, otherwise why would he care about Dave finding out? He wracks his brain, trying to think if there’s anyone Karkat’s been paying attention to lately, in their little friend group. 

Maybe Sollux? Karkat does seem to laugh at his jokes a lot. Maybe even more than he laughs at Dave’s? Dave is suddenly disgustingly jealous of his nerdy programmer roommate. What’s Sollux got that Dave hasn’t? Aside from, like, an actual career-worthy skill, and a hot tongue piercing? Okay, he guesses he can see the appeal. _Still._

He pouts a bit before answering Karkat’s question.

“When I was a kid, I accidentally broke one my Bro’s expensive cameras by knocking it over. Somehow he came to the conclusion that it fell over by itself, and I never told him. More of a lie of omission, but… I’m still pretty sure he’d murder me if he ever found out it was me.”

He tries to think of another question, but he’s feeling sleepy and drunk and stupid. “I can’t think of anything good, man. Just, uh, tell me a thing you don’t want me to know about. Did we already ask that? I forget…”

Karkat stares up at Dave from where he’s laying down, slowly processing his words. He’s pouting, which is… incredibly cute. He has very nice lips, and Karkat wonders for the thousandth time what it would be like to kiss them.

Dave’s question sinks in and Karkat tries to think, but the only thing coming to his mind is his pathetic, hopeless crush. And who even cares if Dave knows? He’s over it, he’s totally over it, because Dave shot his worthless self down hard like the second time they ever talked, and it’s fine. Because he’s over it.

And suddenly telling Dave sounds like a good idea. The _best_ idea, in fact, because they can laugh over it together. Haha, stupid Karkat, always falling fast and hard for people who aren’t interested. He lets out a giggle.

“I had a crush on you when we first met,” he says, then laughs, loud and ugly. Fuck, what even is his life.


	3. Sappy Romantic Bullshit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3

Holy. Shit. What?

Karkat had a crush on him? 

He doesn’t anymore, though, does he? Otherwise he wouldn’t be telling Dave that. Or laughing about it. Right? God, he has a cute fucking laugh. Dave wants to kiss him. No, he shouldn’t do that. Should he? Fuck, he’s definitely freaking out a little. Dave needs to fucking _say something,_ act chill and normal so Karkat doesn’t think he’s pissed or grossed out or anything.

“Oh.” His voice is at least an octave higher than normal. God fucking dammit. This is _not_ the picture of someone who’s acting chill and normal.

Suddenly, his heart drops into his stomach as he remembers something from maybe the first or second time he hung out with Karkat. 

Dave had been rambling about the latest shitty date he’d been on, with a guy who was completely _obsessed_ with finding his quote-unquote soulmate. Dave had been complaining to John and Karkat, talking shit about the whole concept of soulmates in general. Saying he didn’t believe in them, which he doesn’t. 

Karkat had looked at him and said, “I don’t know, sometimes I think I believe in soulmates. Maybe the person you’re meant to be with is right in front of you, and you don’t even know it.”

Dave had just laughed and brushed him off, because he thought Karkat was joking, okay, who _says_ cheesy shit like that?

But oh, fuck, had Karkat been _flirting_ with him? Wow, Dave feels like an asshole now, _and_ an idiot. Oh well, Karkat surely doesn’t feel that way about him anymore, does he? Shit, Dave’s been quiet for way too long, there’s no way this isn’t awkward now.

He tries for humor to break the tension. “I notice you used the past tense there, uh, what exactly was it about me that killed your crush? Was it perhaps my personality, or maybe… my personality? Be honest, I can take it.” 

Man, he really hopes that’s the response that’ll make Karkat laugh and not, like, friend-dump his ass or something.

Dave is quiet for a really long time, and Karkat can’t make out his expression with those fucking shades. He definitely isn’t laughing, though, and it slowly dawns on him that maybe this had been a mistake. Fuck. Fuck!

He’s pretty sure he’s ruined… this. Whatever this is, them hanging out and drinking and talking one on one for once. He’s fucking made it awkward, and Dave is probably putting two and two together right now, realizing that Karkat’s stupid fucking crush isn’t over, no matter how much he wants it to be, and he’ll never want to fucking talk to him again because Karkat is _pathetic_.

Dave asks his question and something like relief takes hold of Karkat. He tries to act casual, looking up at the sky and shrugging.

“You clearly weren’t interested,” he says. “Not that I blame you. It’s not the first time I’ve gotten a crush on someone who doesn’t like me back and is out of my league, and it won’t be the last. I’ll get over it.”

Wait. Something about that last part isn’t right. His eyes widen as he replays what he said in his mind. He forces out a laugh. “I mean I am over it. So over it.”

Fuck. He really just double tapped this fucking friendship, didn’t he? Drunk him is such a fucking asshole.

_I’ll get over it._

Dave’s head might be fuzzy with alcohol but he _knows_ he heard that clearly, before Karkat went back and amended his statement.

Does that mean…?

No fucking way.

Does Karkat _still_ like him? _Him_? As in Dave, this guy sitting right here on the rooftop next to Karkat with his mouth openly gaping like the loosest, most overused asshole?

Karkat’s looking away from him, up at the sky, and Dave can’t stop staring at his face. He’s just so fucking pretty.

_Out of my league,_ there’s no way Karkat actually believes that. Does he? The guy does have pretty shit self esteem, Dave knows. But, seriously, how can he _not_ realize how astoundingly hot he is? And sweet, and kind, and funny… he’s fucking perfect. Perfect, and maybe, just maybe, into Dave.

He realizes with the absolute surety a person can only have when they’re really fucking trashed, that he has to kiss Karkat. And he has to do it _now_ , before either of them can sober up or chicken out or, or, or…

He turns toward Karkat, touching him on the shoulder. They just look at each other for a moment, and then Dave leans down, closing his eyes, and presses his lips to Karkat’s. It’s clumsy, their teeth bump together a bit, and they both smell like shitty vodka. It’s fucking perfect. Except… he’s terrified Karkat’s going to push him away, call him a creep, tell him he doesn’t want to see him ever again. 

Dave remains quiet and Karkat wonders if he should get up and stumble back to his room. He’s fucking exhausted, suddenly, and he wants this to be over already so he can curl up in bed and hate himself properly in the morning.

He feels Dave’s eyes on him but refuses to look back. He can feel the telltale pressure of tears building behind his eyes and fuck. Why is he such a crybaby? Why does he have to fucking run his mouth constantly and ruin fucking everything?

Dave touches his shoulder and Karkat finally looks at him. He can’t read anything on Dave’s face. Is he pissed? He can’t tell. Then Dave is leaning in, leaning over him and--

And then they’re kissing. Holy fuck, is Dave kissing him? He can’t pull himself together fast enough to wrap his head around it, and by the time he does Dave is pulling back and shit, that’s the last thing Karkat wants.

He reaches up, burying his hand in Dave’s hair and pulling him back in. This time he’s aware enough to feel Dave’s lips moving against his own. Dave’s lips are chapped and soft and better than Karkat ever fucking imagined they could be. He feels Dave’s tongue swipe across his lower lip and a needy noise escapes him.

A thought hits him, suddenly, creeping up from the back of his brain, determined to ruin this. Because Dave made it clear that he’s not into guys like Karkat. And Karkat accepted that, he did. It’s why he never made a move, why he pushed his emotions down and away. But. Dave is kissing him, and Dave is drunk, and something just isn’t adding up here.

He pushes Dave away, regretfully. He’s flushed and his lips are slick and red and his shades are askew, and Karkat’s heart is beating in his throat as he looks at him.

“Is this--” he doesn’t even know what he’s trying to say. “Is this a joke? Is it just. Are you drunk, and I’m here and this is. Fuck, what’s the word. Easy?”

He swallows, memories of his shitty luck with relationships coming to the forefront of his mind. He’d rather Dave just laughed at him.

Dave starts to pull away after it seems like Karkat’s not going to kiss him back. 

Fuck. Did he just fuck this whole thing up? He has no idea what he’s doing. He’s pretty good at like, casual hookups and stuff, but this is something different. He’s totally out of his element right now.

A lump forms in his throat and he feels like such a dumb needy asshole. He hates how vulnerable and disappointed he’s feeling right now, it’s downright disgraceful. He’s about to say something, try and apologize or play it off or-- _something_.

Then, suddenly, Karkat’s pulling him back into another kiss, and holy shit. This is happening. Karkat likes him back. This is real. 

He moves his mouth against Karkat’s happily, swiping his tongue against Karkat’s lip, and he hears him make the hottest little noise, _fuck_. Dave’s straight up about to nut his pants already, and they’re only kissing, jesus. Get a hold of yourself, it’s not your turn yet, he tells little Dave.

Before things can escalate any further, though, Karkat pushes him away with a worried look on his face, asking him if this is a joke, or if he just thinks Karkat’s easy.

“What? Shit, no,” Dave exhales, realizing that he’s explained exactly jack dick about his feelings to Karkat and, yeah, this probably looks kind of bad.

“I, uh. I’ve kind of had a crush on you, too. For like, fucking weeks now,” he admits. Might as well get it all out there, as embarrassing as it is. “It’s pretty much super embarrassing and I didn’t want to tell you cause I didn’t think you’d be into it. Oh, yeah, do you remember when we were talkin’ earlier about how there’s a guy I like? And I didn’t think he’d like me back?”

Dave pokes Karkat gently in the chest. 

“That’s you, bro. I was talkin’ about you.”

Karkat pushes himself up onto his elbows, mouth dropping open slightly. He stares at Dave, trying to make sense of what he’s been told.

“What? No, you--” He furrows his brow, trying to remember exactly what Dave had said, but it was so long ago. “You said… you ‘don’t fuck with people who are just obsessed with sappy romantic bullshit.’”

The rest of what he said involved Grindr and hookups somehow, but the wording is lost on Karkat right now.

He looks at Dave beseechingly. “Dave, _I’m_ obsessed with sappy romantic bullshit.”

He could list off various other reasons why Dave _doesn’t_ like him and _shouldn’t_ like him; god knows he’s told them to himself often enough, but this one seems like the most pressing. He sits up all the way and fumbles for a water bottle, pushing it into Dave’s chest.

“Drink that,” he says. Dave is clearly too drunk right now. Even though Karkat ended up drinking most of the vodka. Dave’s a lightweight. He needs to remember that.

Dave groans, taking the water from Karkat but not drinking it because god dammit he needs to set the record straight. Or, not so straight. Whatever. 

“Fuck, I was hoping you didn’t remember that. I… Okay. Strap the fuck in, cause shit’s about to get real for a second.”

He takes a deep breath. 

“I. Did not have the best role models for relationships and emotional availability, growing up. Shocker, I’m sure you’re like, what the fuck Dave, no way, you’re so good at talking about feelings, you must be joking. Uh. Anyway. My Bro, he’s fuckin’ cool as hell, right? Just an ice cold kinda guy. And I respect him a lot. But he’s also got a lot of, let’s say, kind of shitty opinions about like, romance, and ‘feminine’ stuff like fuckin’ emotions and whatnot. I don’t know if I ever told you, but… he doesn’t actually know I like guys. I never, like, came out to him or anything, cause I knew he’d just be a shithead about it. He’s just, _like_ that. You know?”

Dave rubs his neck with his hand.

“So, yeah, when I first came here, fresh outta both Houston and the closet, I thought I was escaping his influence on me, being my own man and stuff, but I guess some a' his ways of thinking were a little more ingrained in me than I thought. Hence, me spewing out a bunch of shitty opinions about love and relationships all over you and everyone else.”

He looks out at the skyline, because eye contact is just a lot to handle right now. He’s so much better with this shit than he was even just a few months ago, but he’s still not great.

“I’m not sayin’ I’m about to start preaching all about true love and shit, I’m still not sure how I feel about that stuff honestly. But, I dunno. Meeting you? It’s kinda makin’ me start believing in it a little bit.”

He flushes, feeling stupid, and buries his head in his hands. “Fuck, I sound like such an asshole, sorry. God. I’m screwing this up so bad. I don’t have a single clue what I’m doing.”

He sits back up, looking at Karkat desperately. “I just need you to know that I really like you, man. You gotta know that. It’s not a joke, and it’s not just ‘cus we’re drunk. I’m seriously fucking into you, as a person. In like, a boyfriendy kind of way, or whatever.”

Karkat doesn’t even know where to start with that. His heart is beating quickly and his stomach is swooping and his cheeks are hot and just. Holy shit.

“You’re not screwing this up,” he says. He thinks about what Dave told him, and how Dave had been acting weird around him lately, and it slowly, slowly starts to sink in. Dave likes him.

He feels himself slowly start to smile. Just a quirk of the lips at first, then it spreads and spreads until he’s grinning. He probably looks like an idiot--he fucking hates his smile--but he can’t help it.

“I like you too. In a boyfriendly way,” he says, because he can’t resist being a little shit, and he feels euphoric.

Is he really this lucky? Dave is gorgeous and hilarious and obnoxious and perfect, and he likes Karkat _back_? He leans forward, still smiling.

“I’m going to kiss you,” he says, and does. He dips in for a quick kiss, and pulls away before Dave can even try to kiss back. He cocks an eyebrow. “So did I get you drunk enough to lose the shades or not?”

Dave watches Karkat’s face as he breaks into the cutest, prettiest smile he’s ever fuckin’ seen. He can’t help smiling back at him.

He huffs a little at Karkat’s teasing, embarrassed by his own dumbass wording, but then Karkat kisses him and he feels like he’s floating again. The kiss is way too short and he wants more, dammit! 

He’ll do whatever Karkat asks him, if Karkat will just kiss him again. Take off his shades? Sure, why not. He’s already stripped down emotionally for the guy tonight, might as well go all the way. Uh, in a manner of speaking.

He pulls his shades off and sets them aside. “Happy now? Can we go back to the kissing?”

Dave is pouty and huffy and it’s fucking _cute_ , but Karkat is too distracted by eyes to fully appreciate it. Jesus christ, Dave has pretty eyes. They’re red, which is weird and unusual and so unfairly gorgeous. The first time Karkat had seen them he’d thought he’d imagined it, but no. A deep, amazing red.

Karkat reaches out, cupping Dave’s cheek gently with his hand. He rubs his thumb lightly over his cheekbone and leans back in.

“Yeah, I’m happy,” he breathes, and then they’re kissing again.

And fuck, it’s so _good_. Karkat’s kissed a decent amount of people, boys and girls, and it had never felt like this. His skin is buzzing, sparks lighting in his stomach, and he never wants this to end.

He moves to press a kiss to the side of Dave’s mouth, then to his jaw, and his ear, and down his neck. He nips, and licks, and he can’t stop smiling.

Karkat kisses all the way down Dave’s jaw, down his neck, and Dave shivers. It’s fucking _delicious_. He whines as Karkat nips and licks at the sensitive skin on his throat. God, it’s so sexy and _romantic_ , what the fuck. This moment just feels… perfect. 

Dave’s been lying on his side, and now he rolls all the way over on top of Karkat, slotting himself in between Karkat’s legs, pressing their bodies together. 

He holds himself up on one elbow, running his free hand through Karkat’s hair, enjoying the fluffy texture, tugging at it lightly, before leaning back down to pepper kisses all over Karkat’s face. He knows he’s being a fucking dork, but the way Karkat lets out a happy little sigh makes him feel more confident about it. Karkat likes his dorky self. Has liked him for a long time, it seems. 

Dave’s not sure how far Karkat wants to go right now. Dave is down for anything, 24/7, any day of the year including Christmas and New Year’s, but he doesn’t want to push Karkat into anything. So he just kisses him for a while, letting Karkat set the pace.

God, Dave is so fucking _perfect_. Even when he’d found himself guiltily imagining kissing him it was never like this, never so soft and sweet. Dave rolls on top of him, pressing into him, and Karkat feels his dick take interest. He ignores it, for now, because Dave is leaving kisses all over his face and his chest feels like it’s going to burst.

He lets out an embarrassing giggle when Dave kisses his nose, and leans up into his lips before Dave can give him shit about it. Karkat reaches up and buries his hand in Dave’s hair while his other runs his fingers up and down Dave’s spine. His shirt is bunched up at the waist and Karkat wants to slip his hand under it, acquaint his fingers with the feel of Dave’s skin.

“Is this okay?” he asks, shifting his leg so it presses more firmly against Dave. He’s hard too, Karkat can feel it, and it sends a thrill down his spine. “What do you want?”

Karkat presses his leg into Dave’s boner and Dave has to restrain himself from just rutting up against it until he comes. That would be such a great first sexual impression.

Karkat’s asking him a question. Talking. Communication. Shit’s important. Fuck.

“Hell yes, way more than okay, I’m good with whatever you wanna do. However far you feel like goin’, tonight or… ever, I’m cool with it. Oh, I guess one thing is, I didn’t bring any supplies up here with me. Really didn’t think tonight was gonna go this way. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fucking _thrilled_ it is, uh, not that it _has_ to or anything, we can just kiss and make out too if you want. Or do more stuff, if you want. But yeah, I didn’t come super prepared. So. Um. Yeah. Whatever you want to do. Like I said.” 

Please shut the fuck up, he begs himself. He holds his breath for a moment, then: “I mean I could go grab condoms and lube and shit from my room if you want me to, but Sollux is definitely gonna ask questions, and I don’t know if you want him to know we’re hookin’ up before we even get a chance to put the hook into the, uh, hook hole. Not that we ever have to do that, if you’re not into it. No pressure and all that good stuff. Oh, god, please just tell me what you want to do so I can stop talking.”

Jesus. He hides his face in the crook of Karkat’s neck, blushing like crazy. He hopes his dumb rambling ass didn’t ruin things for him before they could even get started.

Dave rambles, long and fast, and Karkat stares up at his rapidly coloring face. It hits him suddenly that Dave might be _nervous_. Dave buries his face in Karkat’s neck and Karkat lets out a loud, slightly hysterical laugh. He runs his hand up and down Dave’s back in what he hopes is a soothing manner.

“Dave, Dave. Calm down, holy fuck,” he says. “It’s fine. I didn’t exactly think this is how the night would go either.”

He feels himself starting to blush, thinking about Dave trying to sneak into his own dorm to find lube and condoms. “I think. Making out is good. Right now.”

God dammit, he’s usually so verbose he can’t shut the fuck up. Where did that go? He gathers his courage and moves his leg, rubbing it up against Dave’s dick and says, “Maybe a little more?”

Fuck, it’s not that he _doesn’t_ want to have sex with Dave. Sex with Dave sounds fucking fantastic, actually, if it would be anything like the kissing has been. Karkat’s had sex before--in relationships, with random hookups--but shit, it all feels bland as fuck compared to this.

But he’s drunk; they’re both drunk, and drunk decisions aren’t the best ones. Besides, he doesn’t think he could take Sollux’s smug face tomorrow.

Dave relaxes a tiny bit at Karkat’s words, glad he’s not just getting pissed at Dave’s obnoxious rambling and telling him to fuck off. He guesses if that was gonna happen it woulda probably happened on like, the first day Karkat met him. Anyway. It’s fine, it’s all good, he didn’t fuck up. (Yet.)

He lifts his head back up, still flushed but determined to get back to the good shit.

“Yeah, making out and maybe more sounds hella good,” he agrees.

He tilts his head to kiss Karkat again, time to get all smoochy-coochie up in this bitch. Karkat’s lips meet his, soft and warm and sexy, and he hums happily against them. He presses his tongue lightly against Karkat’s mouth, testing to see if he wants to take a trip to France yet.

Dave kisses him again, and something in Karkat settles. This all feels kind of like a dream, but it’s one he’s enjoying immensely. Dave licks at his mouth and Karkat lets him in eagerly and yes yes and yes. Dave is really fucking good at this. Karkat lets out a moan and he’s entirely unashamed.

When Dave pulls back to breathe Karkat takes advantage, catching his lip between his teeth and tugging, then slipping his tongue in Dave’s mouth. It’s slick and wet and messy and perfect; Karkat didn’t know kissing could _be_ like this. Maybe the other people he’d been with were shit, or maybe it’s just because it’s Dave.

He slips his hands under Dave’s shirt, feeling the bones and musculature along his back. He’s so fucking _soft_ , except for the parts where he can feel scar tissue. He drags his bitten down nails down Dave’s back, enjoying the shudder he receives in return. He smiles into the kiss and does it again.

Karkat’s moan sends a jolt of heat straight to Dave’s dick, and he rewards it by putting twice as much effort into kissing Karkat with as much skill as he’s got. He’s not actually super confident with his kissing abilities, but Karkat seems to be enjoying it. A _lot_ , actually. 

He feels Karkat’s hands run up his back, under his shirt, and freezes for a moment as fingers pass over his lumpy scars, afraid Karkat will think he’s gross, or damaged or something. But Karkat just runs his nails down Dave’s back and oh, fuck, that feels _good_. Dave shudders and feels Karkat smile against his mouth. God _damn_.

Karkat keeps doing it, touching him and driving him crazy, and Dave’s already so hard, fuck. He keeps kissing Karkat, trying not to jump the gun and start humping him. He can feel Karkat’s dick hard and hot against his thigh, and his hands are all over Dave, his tongue is in Dave’s mouth. 

Dave’s literally never been happier than he is right now. After a minute or two, he rubs his crotch against Karkat’s ever so carefully, just a light, teasing pressure. As tame as the action is, he can’t help letting out a moan at finally getting some friction on his hard, straining cock, which is currently attempting to rip right through his jeans to get all up close and personal with Karkat’s own business.

Dave makes the cutest fucking noises when Karkat touches him. Little whimpers and whines and and gasps and he’s so fucking _reactive_ , and fuck is that doing something to him. Dave presses down on him, and it’s so fucking light and not enough but Dave moans like it’s all he’s ever wanted.

Karkat’s hands find themselves on Dave’s ass, squeezing and urging him forward. His dick is hard and trapped and it’s almost uncomfortable but it’s also so fucking good. Karkat kisses down Dave’s neck and bites at his skin, then lathes his tongue over it and does it again. He wants to see Dave marked up, a necklace of lovebites too high for a shirt to hide.

He pulls back, eyeing Dave’s neck critically, examining his handiwork when it hits him that maybe he should have asked first. It’s too late to take it back now, though, and he flits his eyes up to meet Dave’s, his irises a thin line of red, swallowed by his blown pupils.

Dave did _not_ realize how sensitive his ass cheeks were, holy fuck. Karkat’s just grabbing and squeezing them a little, but Dave feels like he’s about to implode with horny from it. 

And then Karkat starts biting at his neck, and oh, god, fuck, Dave can tell he’s letting out pathetic little whining sounds but he can’t fucking stop it. Karkat just keeps going and going, working at his neck like it’s the last corncob of the season and he’s trying to get every last juicy kernel in his stomach. Or. Something less weird and corn-related.

When Karkat finally stops, he looks up at Dave with the hottest smoldering expression. Dave literally can’t speak for a second. Karkat seems to be looking at him and waiting for… something? He’s not sure what. 

For lack of a better response, Dave grinds his dick against Karkat’s, nearly collapsing on top of him with how good it feels. 

Fuck. He can’t help it that he’s overly sensitive to everything, but it’s still embarrassing. A guy he hooked up with once called him “One Pump Chump” because Dave literally nutted after getting his dick only halfway into his ass. He ate him out like a champ afterward, obviously, Dave isn’t some rude asshole who’d just get his nut and leave, but the guy was still kind of salty about it. 

Anyway. 

As much as he wants this night to last forever, he can already tell he’s approaching his edge, even with all their clothes still on. Reluctantly, he eases up on the grinding, trying to give his dick a chance to calm down.

Dave grinds into him and jesus fuck, it’s electric. Karkat closes his eyes and allows himself just to _feel_ everything for a moment; the warm weight of Dave against him, the delicious ache of his cock, the buzzing, tingling sensation zipping across his skin. But then Dave is slowing down, easing off, and Karkat has the alarming thought that he’s fucked something up somehow.

“What’s wrong?” he asks. He’s breathing hard and he’s never been so affected by someone before. He wonders if this is what it’s supposed to be like all the time.

He can’t resist leaning up and pressing a soft kiss to Dave’s lips. He lingers, enjoying it while he can. Part of him is afraid that Dave’s realized he doesn’t actually want to be doing this, but he ignores that as best as he can.

Oh, dammit. “Nothing’s wrong,” Dave hedges. “It’s so great, ‘s fuckin perfect.”

God, this is so embarrassing. Can he get away with not explaining this to Karkat? And what if he _does_ tell him, and Karkat thinks he’s pathetic and lame and doesn’t want to do this anymore? He can’t risk that, fuck, he’s already acted like enough of a goddamn loser tonight.

He sees the creases in Karkat’s forehead that indicate his concern, and he can’t stand knowing he’s made him worry. He brings his thumb up to Karkat’s brows, smoothing them out and kissing him back. 

“Nothing’s wrong,” he repeats firmly. “You’re perfect, dude, I just wanted to make sure we weren’t goin’ too fast or anything.”

It’s kind of the truth. Close enough, anyway. Dave bites his lip and kisses Karkat again, wanting that frown to disappear entirely.

Dave calls him _perfect_ and his dick twitches and oh, that’s a thing he didn’t know about himself. Okay.

Dave touches his face, rubs the space between his brows gently until Karkat eases up on the frowning, and it’s so gentle and sweet Karkat doesn’t know how to handle it. He stares at him and he still can’t quite believe this is happening.

“You’re unfairly fucking gorgeous, you know that?” He doesn’t mean to say that; it slips out on it’s own. To cover his sudden embarrassment, he pushes Dave over, flipping them so Dave is laying on his back and Karkat is propped on his elbows.

“Let me know if this is too fast,” he says seriously.

He dips his head, burying it into Dave’s neck, intent on making a mirroring mark. His hand rucks up Dave’s shirt, exploring his front. He has more scars here, too, and Karkat is so fucking curious about them. But he doesn’t ask; he traces them with his fingers and moves on, and up, until his hand finds a nipple. He grins against Dave’s neck as he tweaks it, enjoying the noise it elicits.

_Unfairly gorgeous_ , huh? Dave grins, but before he can tease Karkat for saying that, Karkat flips him onto his back in a shockingly smooth move, and Dave fucking swoons over it, forgetting everything else.

Karkat dives right back in, marking Dave’s neck up good, touching his chest, feeling him up all over his sensitive skin. Fucking _hell_ , it feels good. Then Karkat runs his hands over Dave’s left nip, and. Fucking. Tweaks it.

Dave lets out an obscene moan, as pleasure spreads out from his little chesticle nub all throughout his whole body. Holy _fuck_. He knew he was sensitive, but _god damn_ , nobody’s ever played him like a fuckin’ fiddle this easy before. 

“More, p-please,” he shudders out. It feels _way_ too fucking good, but-- he can handle it, he swears. He grits his teeth and resolves not to embarrass himself. 

Dave moans like he’s auditioning for a fucking porno and the sound goes straight to Karkat’s dick. His hips twitch forward instinctively and he bites down on Dave’s neck a bit harder than he means to. That noise is forever lodged in his brain now.

Dave asks for more, says _please_ , like Karkat could ever deny him anything. He huffs a laugh into the crook of Dave’s neck and presses his lips against the newest mark he’s made.

“Off,” he demands, pulling back and tugging at Dave’s shirt. Dave scrambles to remove it and soon enough Karkat is staring down at a shirtless, panting, beautiful boy and it’s the hottest thing he’s ever seen.

He leans down and presses his lips to Dave’s chest, right above his heart. He moves down and licks at Dave’s nipple while his hand finds the other hardened nub. He rolls it gently between his fingers, then experimentally pinches.

Oh, jesus. Oh god, oh shit. Dave arches his back, wanting to give Karkat as much access to touch his nips as possible, because _boy_ is he touchin’ them _good_. Karkat’s tongue is lapping at one, and his hand is pinching the other, and _fuck_. It feels amazing. 

Dave feels so overwhelmingly hot and cared for and teased, and all the sensations are going right to his dick, which Karkat is still pressing into with his crotch. It’s perfect, it’s just enough without being too much. As long as Karkat doesn’t start grinding against him unexpectedly or anything, he could go like this for a while. 

He’s worried Karkat’s not getting enough out of this, though. Dave’s barely even touched him, aside from the kissing. But it just feels so _good_ , Dave can’t bring himself to try and shift positions to give him easier access to grope at Karkat. 

He satisfies himself with bringing his hands to Karkat’s back, rubbing him, feeling the bulge of his muscles under soft skin. God damn, but the guy is just mega fucking attractive. Dave can’t believe how lucky he is.

“You’re so fucking hot, ‘Kat,” he tells him, breathless. “Can’t believe this is happening. You’re so-- _god_ , so _good_ at that.” The last part comes out in a shaky moan.

Karkat feels drunk in more ways than one. Dave’s words fill his head and even his shitty self-esteem doesn’t seem to be able to get in the way of him enjoying this. He wants to see Dave shake apart, wants to mark him up and put him back together again.

He rolls Dave’s nipple between his lips and presses down hard. Dave lets out a wonderful gasp and Karkat lifts his head and presses a sloppy kiss to his mouth.

“Love the sounds you make for me,” he tells him, and rolls his hips down once, twice, again. Holy shit, he could do this for hours, forever, so long as Dave let him.

He lets his hand drift lower, over the softness of Dave’s stomach and down to the waistband of Dave’s pants. His fingers dip below the fabric teasingly, questioningly.

“Okay?” he breathes, dropping a kiss to Dave’s jaw, moving up to his ear.

Dave can feel himself completely falling apart, absolutely _melting_ under Karkat’s touches and kisses. He feels so vulnerable but it’s not scary, it’s just mind-numbingly fucking hot, and he almost can’t stand it.

Karkat’s dick presses into Dave’s as he rolls his hips downward, and Dave almost, _almost_ loses it right there, holy shit, but Karkat stops before it’s too late. He closes his eyes, trying to breathe evenly, get a fucking handle on himself.

He feels his hand at his waistband, and opens his eyes, answering Karkat’s question with a rushed nod. “Yes, fuck, please, I’ve literally never wanted anything more in my entire goddamn life, dude. Green light, all systems are go, roger that, uh, I can’t think of any other ways to say it but yes, please, fuckin’ touch me already.”

Karkat laughs and acquiesces, sliding his hand down the front of Dave’s pants and palming him through his boxers. He watches Dave’s face, enraptured with the fluttering of his eyelashes, the way he bites down on his lip. He’s so fucking attractive, arched and gasping beneath him, and he looks ethereal in the moonlight.

Karkat leans down and licks a stripe across his collarbone, bites and sucks at his chest. Dave’s skin is so wonderfully sensitive, even the slightest bit of attention with his mouth leaves splotches of red behind, promising to darken in the future. The idea of Dave covered in his marks, so clearly _his_ , fills him with a warm eagerness he’s not used to.

“I’ve wanted this for so fucking long,” he admits. “You’re so fucking sensitive, Dave, holy fuck.”

Karkat’s hand is on his dick, and, holy shit, it’s so fucking good. It’s only through his clothes, but _still_. Karkat’s mouth works its way over Dave’s chest, and it’s so goddamn hot, Dave’s just letting out a stream of whines and moans and obscenities at this point, his vocal cords fully out of his control. 

He hears Karkat call him _sensitive_ in an almost wondrous tone, as if it’s not just embarrassing as all fuck that he’s writhing around like this. He’s glad Karkat seems to be enjoying it, though.

It’s so hot, so good, so perfect. His legs shake and he can feel the heat building in his lower belly, getting higher and higher. He should really tell Karkat to stop before-- oh fuck. Karkat’s palm suddenly grinds down against his cock, rubbing him harder and shit, _shit_ \--!

Dave’s breath hitches and his face contorts as his body tenses up, and he cums in his boxers with a choked-off groan. His orgasm wracks his body, and he shudders, hands clenching into fists where he’s holding onto Karkat’s shirt. 

Then it’s over, and he’s panting and flushed and tingling all over with aftershocks. Karkat’s still rubbing his oversensitive cock, and Dave looks up at him with glazed eyes. He almost doesn’t want to see the expression on Karkat’s face, surely he’s disappointed. Dave has a couple ideas of how to make it up to him, though.

Dave cums; he feels the wetness on his hand, seeping through the fabric of his boxers, and he’s fucking beautiful. Karkat works him through it, awed, and when he flops back, boneless, Karkat leans in and kisses him.

“You’re amazing,” he says, when kisses don’t seem like enough. He pulls his hand out of Dave’s pants and grins, bringing it to his mouth and licking his fingers. He doesn’t really like the taste, honestly, but it’s worth it to see the way Dave’s eyes widen. He laughs and presses a kiss to Dave’s mouth, his cheek, his nose, then rolls off him.

He’s still hard, but he can take care of it himself if Dave’s not up to it; most of the guys he’s been with lost interest after they got off, but Karkat was too focused on Dave to worry about it. He wonders if Dave’s the cuddly type, or if he’ll want his space; if, now that it’s over, they’ll head back to their separate rooms and never talk about this again.

Instead of making fun of him or being disappointed, Karkat… kisses him. And calls him amazing. Dave’s pathetic little heart expands in his chest. He doesn’t feel that amazing right now, but damn, the way Karkat says it makes him wanna believe it.

Holy shit. Dave’s eyes widen as Karkat licks his cum-smeared fingers, grinning at Dave the whole time. Jesus, _fuck_ that’s hot. Wow. Dave really hit the fuckin’ jackpot tonight, didn’t he. Not that tonight is over yet, not by a long shot. Karkat’s still hard against him and Dave is extremely eager to finally get his hands on him.

Karkat moves off him, rolling onto his back, and Dave sits up, eager to get Karkat’s pants off. He undoes his button and zipper, then looks up at Karkat, his hand hesitating at the waistband.

“This ok?” he asks, not wanting to go too far if Karkat’s not ready. The guy _did_ just lick Dave’s cum off his hands, but it never hurts to make sure.

Karkat stares up at Dave, taken off guard for a moment. It’s a welcome surprise but a surprise nonetheless. He nods sharply and Dave smiles at him. He lifts his hips and Dave pulls his pants and boxers down in a swift move, leaving Karkat’s dick to pop free.

He just had his hands down Dave’s pants and felt absolutely no amount of shame or embarrassment, but being on the other end of things makes him want to squirm. It doesn’t help that Dave is staring unblinkingly at his dick. He hides his face in his hands.

“Fuck, you don’t gotta--” he says. He’s not sure if Dave can hear what he’s saying but he continues anyway. “I can deal with it myself; you don’t gotta do it.”

Karkat’s dick springs out of his boxers, and Dave takes a long, indulgent look, drinking it all in. It’s thick and red and _fuck_ Dave needs to get his mouth on it yesterday. 

But Karkat’s covering his face and mumbling something-- something like _‘you don’t gotta do it’_. Dave hesitates, not sure what’s wrong, whether Karkat’s just being shy or if he actually doesn’t want to be doing this.

“I really _really_ want to,” Dave assures him, letting all the attraction and lust he feels bleed into his voice. Even though he just came, he’s hot all over again from seeing Karkat spread out before him like this. His hand twitches with how badly he wants to touch Karkat’s cock, and he satiates himself by rubbing his bare thigh in what he hopes is a comforting and sexy way.

“Uh, but only if you’re ok with it, I definitely don’t wanna do anything that makes you uncomfortable, dude. Tell me what you want?”

Dave… doesn’t sound bored, or unsure, and Karkat peeks through his fingers to see Dave staring down at him hungrily. Oh. Okay, that’s. Okay.

He lowers his hands. His face still feels hot, but Dave’s hand is rubbing calming circles into his leg.

“I’ve uh, never actually…” he trails off, embarrassed. “I’ve gotten people off before but they haven’t really… done it back?”

He sounds unsure and he hates that. It’s not a big deal; he’s never had a problem getting himself to cum but the second another person is involved it gets a whole lot more complicated, somehow, and he can only hold someone’s attention for so long.

He takes a breath and looks up at Dave. “Anything you want.”

Dave’s heart aches at how unsure Karkat sounds, how he says he’s never had someone get him off before? How is that _possible_? What kind of inconsiderate asshats has he been with? Dave just can’t imagine anyone seeing Karkat with his dick hard in his pants and not wanting to go to town on him immediately.

“Anything I want, huh?” Dave’s eyes flick from Karkat’s face, to his dick, back to his face. “Well what I want more than literally _anything_ is to get all up close and personal with Karkat junior right the fuck now, so. As long as you’re cool with that, I’m just gonna go ahead and--”

Dave straddles one of Karkat’s legs to get a better angle, and carefully wraps his hand around Karkat’s cock. He groans audibly at the feeling of the thickness in his hand. Man, what is _with_ him today? He’s always been a bit of a cockwhore but like, jesus. Having Karkat in his fist just feels so fucking perfect, so sexy and hot and _right_ , it’s driving him a little bit crazy. 

He strokes Karkat a few times to get him warmed up, holding him as tight as he dares to. Then he bends down and licks at the head of Karkat’s cock, swirling his tongue around the tip like he’s kissing it. He presses the flat of his tongue against the underside of Karkat’s dick, licking and sucking, continuing to pump his shaft slowly and steadily the whole time.

Karkat isn’t even able to bitch at Dave for calling his dick Karkat junior before Dave’s hand is wrapped around him, warm and tight and perfect, then he’s leaning down and licking at him and holy shit--his world narrows to just the feeling of Dave’s lips and tongue and hand on his cock.

He tilts his head back and moans loud, before coming back to himself enough to shove his fingers in his mouth, hoping to muffle the noises erupting from his throat. His hips twitch up on their own accord and christ, he can’t keep himself together.

“I swear to god if you puke on my dick I’m breaking up with you,” he pants out. He freezes, eyes going wide, and wants to punch himself. The worst part of that is that it isn’t even true; the second worst part is that he said it all.

So much for being romantic; and jesus fuck presumptuous much?

Dave pulls his mouth away from Karkat’s dick as he snorts out a laugh. “I’m not gonna puke on your dick, dude, calm down. I’ve gotten a lot better at this since that happened, and that was fuckin’ _years_ ago, give me some credit.” 

He pats Karkat’s leg reassuringly. Then his brain catches up and he realizes Karkat said ‘breaking up,’ as in, wait, holy shit, are they boyfriends now? 

Is that what Karkat wants? Dave abso-fucking-lutely wants that, but if he starts talking about it right now, and he misread the situation, then maybe Karkat won’t want him to blow him anymore, so. He shuts his mouth. 

Then he opens it again to sink right back onto Karkat’s dick. He takes him deeper this time, because clearly Karkat has no faith in his abilities and Dave needs to show him how good he can suck him. For professional reasons, of course. Just to showcase his skills. Dave’s not at all totally getting off on this, too. 

He holds Karkat’s dick at the base with his hand, bobbing up and down on him, coming back up to tongue at his slit, and then diving right back down again. With his free arm, he grabs Karkat’s hand and directs it onto his head, moaning a little as Karkat gets the idea and fists his hand through Dave’s hair, tugging gently. 

Fuck, it feels so _good_. Earlier was great, obviously, but being able to take care of Karkat like this, make him feel good-- it makes Dave’s heart swell with happiness. God, he can’t believe he’s being so fuckin’ sappy over just a simple blowjob. 

Except it’s _not_ just a blowjob, it’s. There’s something else happening here, something between him and Karkat that’s heightening this to another level. His brain throws the word _‘intimate’_ at him, and he cringes but. Yeah. That’s actually pretty accurate, this is intimate as all fuck. And Dave’s fucking _loving_ it.

Dave is going to town on his dick and Karkat gasps and whines and moans. His own blowjob skills aren’t bad; or at least he hasn’t had any complaints, but holy fuck whatever Dave is doing is destroying him.

Dave guides Karkat’s hand to his hair and Karkat fists it, tugging lightly. He tries to keep his hips pinned to the ground but they keep jerking forward and all Karkat wants is to bury his dick in Dave’s throat, over and over. The wet heat, the suction, the way Dave presses his tongue hard into his slit; it’s so much and not enough.

“Dave, fuck,” he pants. “More--please, fuck, god, _more._ ”

He urges Dave to move faster with the hand in his hair and Dave hums around him, the vibrations going molten in his core. He’s overwhelmed but he doesn’t want this to ever end. Is this what he’s been missing, all those times? Or is it just because it’s Dave?

He looks down, taking in the image of Dave’s perfect lips stretched around his cock. He glances up, notices Karkat looking, and shoots him a wink when he sinks back down and Karkat’s stomach flutters.

Karkat’s begging moans are sending a fire through Dave’s veins, his whole body is hot and tingling and completely focused on _Karkat_. His sounds, the taste of his dick, the feeling of his thickness against Dave’s tongue.

Dave looks up and sees Karkat staring at him, flushed and breathless and panting, his mouth slack and open. He’s so fucking beautiful, Dave’s heart flips over in his chest, and he feels so overwhelmed all of a sudden. Trying to ignore the feelings rapidly taking over his heart, he winks at Karkat, trying to look more confident than he feels, and goes back to focusing on his task at hand. Blowjobs now, save the freaking out about the fact that he’s probably, definitely, falling in fucking love with Karkat for later.

He moves his hand away, braces both his hands on Karkat’s hips, and sinks _all_ the way down on Karkat’s cock. It hits the back of his throat and he doesn’t gag, grateful for all those months he spent practicing on toys. After that traumatic puke incident, he decided he never wanted that to happen again, and now his gag reflex is pretty much completely gone.

Which is good, because Karkat’s hips are jerking into him over and over. Dave moans at how fucking hot this is, Karkat holding his head down while he fucks Dave’s throat. This is a wet dream that he’s literally had before, and now he’s getting to live out his fantasies for real.

Dave swallows him down and Karkat sees stars. His hand clenches hard in Dave’s hair and he thrusts his hips up again and again, fucking up into Dave’s perfect mouth. A fuzzy thought in the back of his mind says maybe he should slow down, or ease up, because he doesn’t want to hurt Dave, but then Dave moans, and swallows around his cock, and Karkat can’t think of anything else.

There’s heat and pressure building in his stomach. He’s gonna cum soon, he can feel it, and part of him wants to hold Dave’s head down while he does, make him swallow it all down, fill him up with it. Just the thought pushes him closer to the edge.

“D-dave,” he stutters out. He tugs Dave’s hair, urging his head back even as his hips twitch forward, seeking more. “I’m close--I’m gonna--you gotta--”

Dave looks up at him, beautiful red eyes and pale skin and pink lips looking so pretty stretched around him. Karkat throws his head back, uses his free arm to cover his eyes. His heart feels too big for his chest, everything is so much. Dave is so amazing, and he’s taking care of Karkat and being so _good_ to him and shit, he doesn’t deserve it. Fuck.

Fuck, he’s so fucking in love with Dave Strider.

Karkat warns Dave that he’s close, and Dave looks up at him, wanting to watch his face as he cums. Of course Karkat immediately covers his eyes, but Dave can still see his mouth at least, half-open and panting, and his chest rising and falling rapidly with his breath. 

Karkat tries to pull his head back, but he’s still fucking up into Dave’s throat as much as ever, so Dave’s pretty sure he’s just worried that Dave might not want to swallow or something. Dave shakes his head and drops his mouth as far as he can onto Karkat’s dick, moaning at the way his throat is stretched full, hoping it encourages Karkat to let loose and just use Dave’s body the way he wants to. 

He grabs at Karkat’s free hand, entwining their fingers together. He knows it’s fucking sappy as shit but he wants to feel as close as possible to Karkat when he cums. Just in case they don’t get to do this again. 

Fuck, he really hopes they can do this again. And more, too. Just thinking about taking Karkat’s dick in his ass (or vice versa, if that’s more Karkat’s speed, Dave can switch it up if the situation requires), makes his spent dick twitch in interest.

Dave doesn’t pull off his dick; if anything he doubles down, sucks it harder, moans around it. He reaches up and grabs Karkat’s hand; they fit together perfectly. Dave squeezes his hand encouragingly and somehow that’s the thing that pushes Karkat over the edge.

He tenses, toes curling, back arching, and cums harder than he ever has in his life. He shakes and shudders through it; he thinks he moans something--Dave’s name, maybe, but he’s not sure. Everything is focused on the wonderful, overwhelming wave of pleasure that washes over him.

When he’s spent, flopping backwards and breathing hard, he realizes he’s been holding Dave’s head in place with an iron grip. He immediately releases him but Dave doesn’t pull off. He keeps sucking at Karkat’s oversensitive, spent cock, sending shockwaves up Karkat’s spine until he has to push Dave away, panting.

Dave sucks down every bit of Karkat’s cum like it’s a delicious vanilla milkshake. Not that he _could_ move away even if he wanted to, Karkat’s got him locked down pretty fuckin’ solidly, and he _loves_ it. He keeps sucking at Karkat even after his orgasm is done, wanting to make sure he swallows every last drop of him.

When Karkat finally pushes him away, Dave pulls his mouth off Karkat’s dick reluctantly with a loud _pop_. 

He rubs his tummy in an exaggerated motion. “Mmmm, damn, Karkat, that was a tasty fuckin’ treat. You know how to spoil a gentleman. Five star yelp review, absolutely would eat here again.”

Laying down on his side with his head propped up on one arm, he runs a hand through Karkat’s sweaty hair, kissing him softly on the cheek.

“How was it? You okay? You good? Not regretting all your life decisions yet?”

Karkat groans at Dave’s ridiculousness but he can’t hide his smile. Dave runs his hand through Karkat’s gross, sweaty hair, nails running lightly across his scalp. Karkat’s eyes flutter shut and he leans into the touch. Then Dave kisses him on the cheek and it’s so soft and gentle that Karkat can’t handle it. No one touches him like this, sweet and caring.

He opens his eyes and stares at Dave. His hair is a mess and his lips are swollen; dark hickeys are blooming on his neck and chest and he’s beautiful.

“It was perfect,” he says, leaning up to press a soft kiss to Dave’s forehead. “I don’t regret shit.”

He moves back, hesitates, and asks, “Do you? Regret it?”

The second it’s out of his mouth he wants to take it back. He’s such a needy, insecure asshole. But there’s a very large part of him that’s worried Dave _does_ regret it, or he will in the morning, and will realize he’s much better without Karkat hanging around him all the time. Because Karkat knows he can’t go back to being friends after this; he can’t ignore his feelings for Dave. Not anymore.

Dave breathes in relief when Karkat says he doesn’t regret it. Not that he _thought_ Karkat would, or anything, just… well. Dave did kind of make an ass of himself by cumming in his boxers before they could do much of anything. He hopes he made up for it enough. Karkat seems more than satisfied, though.

“Fuck no, I don’t regret it at all,” Dave assures him. 

He shivers a bit in the cool air. Now that the heated haze of sex has worn off, he can feel his cum wet and cold and sticky in his boxers, and it’s not super pleasant.

“I am starting to regret not wearing a sweater, though. And not getting my fucking pants off before I blew my goddamn load like a twelve year old. Shit’s startin’ to get downright gross in here.”

He’s getting tired, too. He can see the faintest edge of light starting to peek over the horizon. He checks his phone for the time, it’s almost 5 am. Man, Dave is _not_ going to class today, he’ll tell you that for free. 

He doesn’t want to part ways with Karkat yet, though. Even though they live literally right across the hall from each other, he’s just feeling fuckin’ clingy, so sue him. 

“I was thinking I might take a shower before I pass out. Would you wanna maybe shower with me?” he asks, feeling shy all of a sudden. Why is this so hard to ask? They literally just had sex seconds ago, and it’s not like Karkat’s answer is a big deal either way. Still, he bites his tongue to stop himself from taking back the question before Karkat even has a chance to answer.


	4. Shower

Karkat bites his lip at Dave’s question. To put off answering he busies himself with pulling his boxers and pants back up. Dave must be freezing, sitting there without his shirt, but he doesn’t make a move to put it back on.

Dave just had his dick in his mouth but the thought of him seeing Karkat naked is nerve wracking, for some reason. Like Dave might see the layer of flab over his stomach or his stretch marks or the moles dotted across his skin and realize that Karkat’s ugly and he’s been wearing beer goggles this whole time. Vodka goggles. Whatever.

Even though Karkat’s not feeling too drunk himself, anymore. And Dave said he _likes_ him, in a boyfriend-y way, and the thought still makes him fluster. Besides, the temptation of seeing Dave naked is too much to ignore.

“Yeah, okay,” he says. “A shower sounds good. I’m sweaty and gross as fuck now, ugh.”

He stands up, offering Dave his hand. He considers leaving the blanket and pillows up here but he needs those to sleep, even though the blanket needs to be washed now anyway. The idea of sleeping in Dave’s room, Sollux be damned, flashes through his mind but he pushes that shit far away.

Dave’s lips twitch in a smile when Karkat agrees to shower with him. He takes Karkat’s hand, letting Karkat pull him up and accidentally crashing into him, pressing their bodies together. He might still be a little intoxicated. 

“Whoops, sorry dude,” Dave laughs quietly. 

He doesn’t step back, though. Instead, he raises his hand to Karkat’s cheek and leans in to kiss him. Even though he’s spent the past hour or so kissing Karkat, it feels like he’ll never be able to get enough. The only reason he finally breaks away is because his teeth are starting to chatter from being up here shirtless for so long.

He grabs his shirt and pulls it on, then picks up Karkat’s bedding as well.

“Your blanket is kind of covered in cum,” he notes. 

Dave stumbles into him and Karkat’s hands settle at his waist to steady him. Then Dave leans down to kiss him and Karkat absolutely melts into him. He pulls away too soon and tugs his shirt on, which is a shame.

“No shit,” he says with a sigh, taking the bedding from Dave, in case his dumb ass trips down the stairs. “I’ll be sleeping without one tonight I guess.”

They make their way downstairs and Karkat dips into his room to dump his bedding on the floor. His roommate turns over while he’s there but doesn’t wake up. He leans against the wall, his shower caddy, and towel in hand while he waits for Dave, who’s taking his sweet time in his own dorm.

Nerves are tying his stomach into knots and he considers backing out. Tonight’s already been more than he could have ever asked for; why push it? But he desperately doesn’t want it to end.

Dave considers asking Karkat if he wants to sleep with him tonight. Like, not sex but actually sleeping, in Dave’s bed with him, because Dave has blankets and pillows that aren’t covered in jizz. He wonders if that would be too clingy or weird to ask, he’s already asking Karkat to shower with him, he doesn’t want Karkat to get sick of him. But maybe it’s romantic, and Karkat likes romance, right? By the time they get downstairs, Dave still hasn’t come to a decision. 

He steps into his room to grab his shower stuff. Sollux is still awake, somehow, typing away at the computer, and doesn’t even acknowledge Dave as he comes in. 

Dave eyes his bed and tries to picture Karkat in it tonight. Fuck, that sounds really nice. Being able to cuddle up to him while he’s all sleepy and shit… He decides if the shower goes well and Karkat seems like he isn’t too sick of him, he’ll take the leap and ask. Otherwise he just won’t, no harm done. 

Realizing he’s been standing there for a couple minutes just staring at his bed, he shakes himself back to the present, remembering that Karkat’s out in the hall waiting for him. He quickly grabs his shower stuff and, after a brief moment of hesitation, stuffs a condom and a packet of lube into his shower caddy. Just in case. Then he heads back out into the hall.

Karkat’s leaning up against the wall looking completely adorable. Dave’s stomach flips over. 

“Ready?” he asks. 

Karkat nods, and they make their way down the hall to the bathroom.

Dave drops his shit in a pile on the counter, and turns on the shower in the middle, the one that has the best water pressure. Coincidentally, the one he got a sneak preview of Karkat’s booty in, several weeks ago.

He strips down to his boxers, then pauses to look at Karkat, to make sure he’s doing okay. And maybe also because he’s a little nervous about showin’ Karkat all the goods right now and he just wants to stall for a second, is that really a crime? 

Dave strips down to his boxers without a moment’s hesitation and Karkat can’t keep his eyes off him. So much skin on display, and Karkat wants to touch it all; wants to fit his lips in the hollow of Dave’s ribs and the dip in his collarbone, to press up against him to see just how well their bodies fit together.

He can see the spot where Dave’s jizz dried on the front of his boxers and he smirks. He drops his shit next to Dave’s, then turns around and pulls Dave into him. He has to lean up to kiss him, now that they aren’t laying next to each other, and something in him thrills at that.

Karkat takes a step back, takes a breath, and pulls off his sweater. He instantly feels more vulnerable than he’s been since the night began. He doesn’t look at Dave’s expression; he’s too nervous. Instead he focuses on unbuttoning and taking off his pants until he’s in nothing but his underwear as well. An even playing field, logically, though it feels tipped to Dave’s side. Dave’s beautiful, after all, and Karkat… isn’t.

Karkat pulls Dave into a quick kiss, and Dave thrills at the feeling of his bare skin against Karkat’s clothing. It feels almost more lewd than if they were naked together, and Dave’s dick twitches in interest. He makes a mental note to explore this further at a later date.

For now, he watches Karkat undress with rapt attention. His eyes trace hungrily over Karkat’s broad shoulders and thick arms. God _damn_ , his thighs tho. Dave’s pretty sure he’s drooling all over himself, his jaw on the floor. If he was in an anime right now he’d have a severe nosebleed.

Karkat stops at his underwear, too, and Dave nervously steps toward him, putting his hands on Karkat’s hips. Karkat has this unsure frown on his face and Dave wishes he could kiss it away permanently. He leans down to give it his best effort, pulling Karkat’s body into his and kissing him enthusiastically. 

Dave’s sporting a pretty obvious tent in his cum-stained boxers now, and he lets it give him the confidence he needs to thumb at Karkat’s waistband and ask, “Can I?”

Dave kisses him and the nerves melt away, for a moment. It’s so easy to get lost in the press of Dave’s lips, the slide of his tongue. Karkat’s eyes slip shut and his arms move around Dave’s shoulders, hands burying themselves in his hair.

Karkat nods, because Dave hasn’t turned tail and ran yet, and he’s already seen his dick, so. Dave pushes his boxers down, the fabric pooling at his feet, and Karkat leans up for one last quick kiss, just in case.

Then he steps back and lets Dave look at him. His eyes are dark and wide and his expression is hungry. Karkat’s face must be blazing red. He clears his throat.

“You too,” he says, nodding at Dave. The fabric of his boxers is tented, which is a good sign, at least.

Dave looks at Karkat; at his dick, which is soft but somehow still getting his engines revving; at his face, his eyes, his chest, his fucking _elbows_. He just can’t get enough of _Karkat_. 

He pulls off his own boxers, flushing as he remembers the dried cum all over himself. He half turns away from Karkat and tries to scrub it away with his boxers, but gives up when it’s clear that it’s not working. He kind of really wishes Karkat’s first view of his dick wasn’t like _this_ , but it’s his own damn fault for orchestrating this whole situation. 

Whatever, it’s worth it if it means he gets to feast his eyes on hunky mc-hunkster over here. Dave takes another healthy look at Karkat, then realizes he hasn’t actually complimented him yet. 

He clears his throat. “Hey, um. You’re really fucking hot. I hope you know that, dude. Like, _damn_ , I’m seriously regretting the past eighteen years of my life because I didn’t spend them looking at your bod all day long.”

Testing the water with his hand, he decides it’s about as warm as it’s going to get. Fucking shitty communal showers. He grabs his caddy and sticks it in the shower, then steps under the spray and waits for Karkat to join him.

Dave turns away after removing his boxers, giving Karkat a nice view of his ass. He quickly averts his eyes when Dave turns back, though. He feels ridiculous, being so nervous.

He’s surprised when Dave compliments him. Karkat knows he’s nothing special; he’s filled out a bit since high school but beyond that he’s still the same ugly, moody asshole he’s always been. That knowledge doesn’t stop his dick from twitching obviously. Dave’s too focused on the water to notice and Karkat isn’t sure if that’s a relief or not.

He steps into the shower stall after Dave. It’s a tight fit with the both of them and Karkat smiles into Dave’s shoulder as they bumble around each other.

“I know everything I say is gonna go straight to your already enlarged ego,” he says, “but you’re really fucking hot, Dave. Sometimes I just can’t stop staring at you.”

It’s true, but also really fucking embarrassing to admit. To cover it he demands, “Gimme your shampoo.”

Dave smirks at Karkat’s insult-compliment combo, but he flushes slightly at the genuine affection in Karkat’s voice. Being called hot is one thing, Dave’s used to that, but the way Karkat says he can’t stop staring at him-- Dave can tell he means it. And that’s. Really something.

Instead of handing Karkat his shampoo, he takes hold of Karkat’s arms and directs him under the shower spray, wetting his hair. Then he pours some shampoo into his hand, and reaches up to massage it into Karkat’s curls. He spends a good amount of time with his hands in Karkat’s hair, just touching him, rubbing his scalp, getting his hair nice and squeaky clean for him. 

Eventually he lets Karkat rinse his hair out. The way his wet hair flops into his eyes afterward does something to Dave’s heart, and he leans in to kiss him, pressing their bodies together. The warm water flows over them, making their skin slippery. Dave kisses Karkat until he’s a little breathless, then he steps back and grabs his shampoo again for himself.

Dave’s fingertips massaging his scalp makes Karkat relax in a way he didn’t know was possible. He’s so gentle and it feels so fucking good. Karkat’s eyes drift closed and he basks in the feeling. Dave washes his hair for much longer than he needs to, but Karkat isn’t complaining. Then he kisses Karkat, backing him up against the cold wall of the shower stall.

Dave isn’t the only one who’s getting hard, now. But Karkat ignores it, snatching the shampoo away from Dave when he grabs it.

“My turn,” he says, eyebrows furrowing. Dave’s hair is already wet, and Karkat presses quick kisses to his face as he lathers the shampoo into his hair. He loves kissing Dave; he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to stop now that he’s been allowed to start.

Karkat grins and takes the opportunity to work Dave’s hair into a mohawk. It doesn’t stay for long, but it makes Karkat laugh anyway. His chest feels full to bursting, being allowed to see Dave like this.

He nudges Dave under the water, cupping his hand over his eyes to make sure none of the shampoo gets in them. He sneaks in another kiss as he rinses the shampoo out. Dave looks kind of ridiculous with his wet hair flat against his face.

“You’ve got so many fucking hickeys on your neck,” he tells Dave. He can’t keep the smugness out of his voice. They look lovely, stark against Dave’s skin, and he wants to make more of them.

Karkat’s hands in Dave’s hair feel like fucking _heaven_. It sends tingles over his scalp and down his back, and he shivers happily. After a minute he feels Karkat doing something to his hair that doesn’t feel like shampooing, and Karkat starts laughing. 

Dave reaches up and feels his hair is spiked in a mohawk, and it makes him giggle. He’s so damn happy, right now. Just being here with Karkat, enjoying each other, this is all so new and exciting but it already feels so _right_. 

He feels like he’s finally coming home after a long time spent far away. It feels so good that it puts a lump in his throat, and he swallows, grateful for the water spilling down his face, masking any wetness that’s definitely not forming in his eyes.

Then Karkat proudly points out Dave’s hickeys, and it flips his mood from sappy to horny in an instant. He looks down at his chest, able to see only a few, but he knows there are more on his neck.

“Yeah, whose fault is that?” he teases. “Seems like someone couldn’t keep his mouth off me.”

He glances down at Karkat’s dick and confirms that yep, Karkat’s joined him in bonertown now too. Reaching his hand down, he rubs circles into Karkat’s thighs, into his ass cheeks, little teasing touches all around that aren’t close to his dick, savoring the way it makes Karkat’s eyes darken with lust.

Dave’s teasing touches are getting Karkat more riled up than he’d like to admit. He presses into Dave and their dicks rub together and it’s so fucking good. He presses his lips to Dave’s jaw, enjoying his little sharp inhale.

“They look good on you,” he says. He could stare at Dave all day, any day, but seeing his marks stand out proudly on Dave’s skin is so pleasing. It’s weird and probably too possessive, but so far Dave doesn’t seem to mind.

He leans back, reaching for the conditioner and says, “I like your smile.”

He immediately grimaces at himself. ‘I like your smile’? Really? All those romance novels, all those romcoms, and that’s what he comes up with? He’s such a fucking disappointment.

“C’mere,” he says, tugging Dave forward. He gets to work rubbing the conditioner into Dave’s hair. He can’t help pressing his hips into Dave’s, grinding in little circles as he watches Dave’s expressions. He wants to make him cum again; wants to see his face as he’s overwhelmed with pleasure.

He leans up, nipping at Dave’s jaw and earlobe and says, “Let me suck you off.”

Dave flushes at Karkat’s compliment. It’s a simple one but he can tell Karkat really _means_ it, and that makes it more potent than a lot of compliments he’s received. 

Karkat’s dick rubbing against his is fucking delicious, and hot, and wet, and fuck, Dave loves it. He’s going crazy, he’s so fucking hard, he needs this to never stop and he needs so much more. 

Karkat asks to suck him off and Dave nods before Karkat’s even done talking. “Yes, please, fuck, holy shit, that is absolutely one _hundred_ percent okay, you don’t even gotta ask, like just for future reference I will literally _always_ be okay with that.”

He wants Karkat’s mouth on his dick as soon as possible, but he can’t help pulling Karkat into one more kiss first, shoving his tongue deep and dirty into his mouth, getting a preview of where his dick will be soon. He moans at the feeling of Karkat’s tongue against his, wet and hot and delectable. He breaks away, his lips swollen and red from all the kissing they’ve done today.

“You’re fucking amazing, ‘Kat,” he blurts out, then flushes because he’s not drunk enough anymore to be able to blame that on the alcohol. 

Oh well. Karkat’s just gonna have to know how much Dave lov-- Fuck. How much Dave _really likes_ him. Jesus. It’s way too early to be thinking… _that_ word. 

Karkat gasps and whines into the kiss. He could kiss Dave forever, he thinks, but he has a promise to fulfill so he breaks away with a grin. Dave calling him amazing turns his stomach over and he distracts himself by kissing slowly down Dave’s chest and stomach.

His knees hit the tile floor and oh, this is gonna be uncomfortable, but the sight of Dave’s dick inches from his face makes up for it. It’s longer than his own but not as thick, and it’s flushed a lovely pink. Karkat places his hands on Dave’s thighs and uses his thumbs to rub circles into them.

“Remember that some of us still have our gag reflexes,” he says, glancing up at Dave, then takes him in hand.

He strokes him once, twice, drops a kiss to the tip and licks at it, but instead of taking it in his mouth he leaves sloppy, wet kisses down the side until he reaches the base.

He bites at Dave’s inner thigh, because he has no self control, then moves up to suck Dave’s balls into his mouth, one, two, and rolls his tongue gently over them. He hums a few notes and releases them with a soft, obscene _pop_ , and licks a firm line from the base to the tip of the underside of Dave’s dick.

And only then does he finally take it into his mouth, enjoying the weight of it on his tongue.

Holy shit. Holy fuck. 

Karkat’s mouth is literally the best goddamn thing in the entire world. And fucking _hell_ does he know how to use it. Dave’s given and received his fair share of blowjobs and Karkat’s is top fucking tier. _Fucking_ being the key word.

When Karkat takes Dave’s dick fully into his mouth, Dave’s eyes roll back in his head and he slams a hand out against the wall to hold himself still, try and stop himself from fucking into Karkat’s throat because holy _shit_ his mouth just feels incredible. It’s hot and velvety and wet and _perfect_ , and his tongue is swirling around like a fuckin pro. 

Dave looks down at Karkat, his lips wrapped around him, shiny and red and gorgeous. His eyebrows are furrowed in concentration and Dave almost giggles because it’s actually so fucking adorable, but then Karkat swipes his tongue over the underside of his dick in such a perfect way that it chases all coherent thoughts out of his mind.

It’s only a few blissful moments before he feels his orgasm building up at the base of his spine. 

“Fuck--! Karkat, ‘m-- hfhh-- close--,” he gasps out in warning, focusing all his energy on not thrusting mindlessly into Karkat’s mouth.

Karkat falls into a rhythm, bobbing his head and pumping his hand in tandem. He hollows his cheeks, puts his tongue to use. The noises Dave makes spur him on; he doesn’t think he’s ever enjoyed blowing someone so much before.

Dave’s hips start doing little half thrusts and Karkat braces his arm against them, keeping them pinned to the wall. He’d swallow Dave down like he’d done to Karkat if he could, but it’s beyond his skillset and he’s not willing to risk fucking this up right now.

It’s not long before Dave warns him that he’s close. Karkat looks back up at him with a raised eyebrow. It’s not a bad thing; Karkat’s knees are already beginning to ache, but it is surprising, considering he already came not that long ago.

Karkat lets Dave’s dick pop out of his mouth and uses his hand to stroke him from base to tip. He presses his tongue to the head of Dave’s dick, and uses a hand to reach past his balls and presses firmly, moving his index finger in small circles.

“C’mon,” he urges, moving his hand faster. He stares up at Dave’s face, dedicating it to his memory. “Cum for me, Dave.”

Karkat’s encouraging words are all Dave needs to release the little control he’s exercising over his body. His hips jerk erratically into Karkat’s fist as he tips over the edge, cum shooting out his dick onto Karkat. His orgasm feels like it goes on for _ever_ , and his legs are shaking, barely holding him up by the end. 

Holy shit.

Karkat works him through the whole thing and then some, and Dave grabs gently at his wrist so he’ll know Dave’s done. 

“God _damn_ ,” he pants, looking starry-eyed down at Karkat in front of him. “That was fucking-- just, wow…”

He pulls Karkat up off his knees and draws him into a shaky kiss. 

“You were so perfect. So good at that, _shit_ dude, I’m pretty sure you killed me, I’m dead, my soul has escaped through my dick.”

He gives Karkat a dazed smile, reaching down to wrap his hand around Karkat’s hard cock, stroking it slowly.

“What do you want, hmm? Let me get you off, how do you want it? I brought, uh… stuff, if you want some Strider ass action, or we can just do hand-slash-mouth activities instead,” he offers.

Dave trembles through his orgasm and strings of cum land on Karkat’s chest and face, almost instantly washed away when Dave pulls him to his feet and kisses him under the spray of the water. Dave calls him _perfect_ again, and Karkat’s dick chooses that moment to remind him he’s still very much hard.

Dave strokes him slowly and Karkat groans, letting his eyes slip closed for a moment.

“Stuff, huh?” he asks, the side of his mouth twitching up into a smile. “Optimistic of you.”

He considers for a moment, burying his head in the crook of Dave’s neck and dropping gentle kisses there.

“Are you up for that? Already?” he asks. Fuck, how fast is Dave’s refractory period? The idea of being inside Dave, connected to him that way is incredibly tempting. Or Dave being in him; that could be good too. “I really wanna fuck you.”

Dave’s dick is soft but the rest of his body still heats up in arousal at Karkat’s words. 

“Fuck yeah, please fuck me,” he begs, his strokes on Karkat’s dick getting faster and more excited. 

He dips in for another messy, enthusiastic kiss, to let Karkat know exactly how ready he is for it, if his words weren’t enough to show it. God, he could seriously just kiss Karkat forever, couldn’t he? Karkat is so perfect, beautiful, amazing, he smells good… Dave just likes him so fucking much. 

Digging around in his shower caddy with his other hand, he grabs the lube packet and condom and hands them to Karkat. 

“Do you need me to prep myself or you wanna do it?”

Dave’s _’please fuck me’_ strikes Karkat speechless for a moment; he’s never going to get those words in Dave’s needy voice out of his head, holy fuck.

He wonders if now would be a good time to tell Dave he’s never gone this far with anyone before. He thinks it was implied, before, when he admitted that no one until Dave had actually bothered getting him off, but he’s not entirely sure how much of that Dave absorbed.

And maybe Dave won’t want this anymore if he does tell him, so Karkat ultimately decides to keep his mouth shut about it.

“I’ll do it,” he says, feeling irrationally jealous at the thought of Dave fingering himself open. He rips open the lube packet and squeezes some onto his fingers. “Turn around.”

Dave gladly turns around, no questions asked, no sir. Karkat’s fingers in his ass are only exactly what he’s dreamed about for the past three weeks. Well, that and Karkat’s dick in his ass. Which he’s going to get as well, because Karkat’s going to _fuck_ him. With his dick and everything.

He bends over and braces his hands on the shower wall, jutting his ass out at Karkat for easy access. _Presenting_. Fuck. He wants it so bad, he doesn’t even care how ridiculous he probably looks right now. 

Heart pounding in his throat, he waits impatiently for Karkat to touch him, to start spreading him open.

Karkat’s mouth goes dry at the sight of Dave bending over for him, ass out. His clean hand cups his cheek and squeezes, then spreads him open. He drinks in the image for a long moment, then uses his lubed up fingers to draw a line down his crack.

He inserts his index finger into Dave’s hole slowly, slipping in to the first knuckle and thrusting it shallowly a few times, then moving to the second and repeating the process. Dave might get impatient but Karkat is going to savor this, draw it out and commit it to memory. When he’s on the last knuckle he pulls his finger out and squirts more lube onto his hand, then inserts another.

He leans forward, pressing a kiss between Dave’s shoulder blades.

“You look so good like this,” he tells him, fucking his fingers in and out. He crooks his fingers, trying to find the spot that will make Dave see stars.

Karkat opens him up slowly, so slowly it’s almost painful. By the time he’s finally got his first finger all the way inside him, Dave’s already half-hard again. 

He tries to hold still and not fuck back onto Karkat’s hand, as impatient as he is, because Karkat’s being so deliberate and careful and some part of Dave really loves that. Being taken care of like this. 

Karkat pulls out, leaving Dave’s hole empty and twitching, before he adds a second finger. Dave whines at the stretch, fuck, it feels so _good_. It’s been a few weeks since he’s done this to himself, and he’s tight and even more sensitive than usual. He hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to fuck himself on his fingers lately since he lives with a shut-in roommate who basically never sleeps.

Karkat digs his fingers around and Dave braces himself for getting his funny button pushed. After a bit of searching, Karkat’s finger brushes up against his prostate and oh, _fuck_. Even though he was ready for it, Dave can barely stay standing as the sensitive bundle of nerves is massaged over and over. His legs shake violently, and he _wails_ , stuffing a fist in his mouth to try and shut himself up. 

Ohjesusgod it’s so fuckin’ good, oh fuck, oh shit, _Karkat_. He’s sure he’s babbling some of this out loud but he can’t bring himself to give a shit because _fuck_ it feels so goddamn good.

Goddamn Dave sounds so amazing, letting out an endless stream of curses and moans and whines. He’s trembling beneath Karkat as he massages his prostate and then his beautiful noises are being muffled and Karkat refuses to let that go.

He wraps his arm around Dave, providing extra support to keep him upright, and reaches up to remove Dave’s hand from his mouth. He intertwines their fingers, pressing their clasped hands against Dave’s chest. He’s able to feel Dave’s rapid heartbeat and it makes his own heart turn over in his chest. He scissors the fingers in Dave’s ass, then rubs pointedly against his prostate.

“I wanna hear you,” he says, adding a third finger. “You sound so good for me.”

His dick throbs and he thrusts it against Dave’s thigh, groaning. He wants to make this last but fuck, it’s getting difficult to ignore his aching dick. He refuses to hurt Dave, though, and he’s so fucking _tight_ , and hot and wonderful.

Dave says his name like a prayer and Karkat bites his shoulder. He places a sloppy, wet kiss over it as an apology.

“Are you ready?” he asks desperately. “Fuck, Dave, please be ready.”

Dave’s shoulder aches beautifully where Karkat bit him, and he whines. 

Karkat’s fingers in his ass are hot and slick, scissoring him open and pushing against his prostate over and over. It seems now that Karkat’s found it he’s just going to keep touching it forever, and Dave’s not fucking complaining. Probably half the dorm can hear how much he’s not complaining. But Karkat wants to hear him, so Dave obediently does nothing to muffle the obscene moans and mumbles he’s making.

The desperation in Karkat’s voice is so fucking hot. God, Dave can tell how turned on he is, and yet he’s still holding back, for Dave’s sake. Being careful with him.

“‘M so fuckin’ ready, oh god, _please_ ,” Dave pants. “Please put it in dude, I’m literally gonna-- ahh! Gonna die if you don’t start fucking me-- hhh _hhh_ \-- _now_.”

Jesus fucking christ, Dave is so hot, his hands grabbing desperately at the shower wall, begging Karkat to fuck him. Part of him wants to deny him, watch Dave fall apart on just his fingers, but more than that he wants to be inside him.

He regretfully untangles their hands. He fights with the condom wrapper, using his teeth to get it open, and rolls it on. His own light touch to his neglected dick has him biting his lip. He isn’t gonna last long, is he? Fuck, he hopes Dave doesn’t mind. Then again, if Karkat finishes first maybe he’ll get to eat Dave out until he cums.

He spreads Dave’s ass and lines himself up. He pushes in slowly, even though it kills him. He moans as the tight heat wraps around him, eyes rolling back and lashes fluttering.

“You feel so fucking good Dave,” he says, leaning over him, Dave’s back pressed against his chest.

When he’s fully in he waits, giving Dave time to adjust. It takes all his willpower to not ram into Dave, and he can’t stop his hips from giving little thrusts. He grabs Dave’s hand again, his other holding firmly onto Dave’s hip.

“Okay?” he asks, breathless.

Dave holds as still as he can as Karkat slowly sinks into him. He bites his lip with the effort of not thrusting his hips back, wanting Karkat to just fucking _move_ already. But he knows from experience it’ll hurt later if they go too fast now. He’s having a really hard time caring about future Dave’s comfort, though. Future Dave is putting a hell of a damper on Present Dave’s buttsex time.

Karkat’s gently thrusting into him, little tiny movements, and Dave needs more, it’s not enough, it feels delicious but he’s actually gonna die if he doesn’t get properly fucked and soon.

“Fuck yeah, I’m more than okay,” Dave groans. “Please just fuck me man, holy shit, I need you _now_ , just do it, please!”

He grabs for Karkat’s hand again, missing the feeling of their fingers clasped together. Just cause it’s hot, okay? Not because of like, emotions or anything. 

Dave winds their fingers together and Karkat’s heart throbs. Fuck, his dick is literally buried in Dave, why is it the intimacy of holding his hand that makes Karkat _feel_ things?

“You’re so fucking bossy,” Karkat says, which is better than the ‘I love you’ that threatens to slip out. He slowly pulls out, then pushes back in, determined to go slow, but that falls away almost immediately because it just feels so fucking good and he needs _more_.

His thrusts speed up and Dave is falling apart beneath him, moans echoing back at them and filling Karkat’s ears with the beautiful sound. Everything is Dave, Dave, Dave-- Dave around him, Dave beneath him, Dave’s fingers clinging to his own.

He barely hears the sound of the door opening over Dave’s moans, but he definitely hears a familiar voice say, “Again?! I fucking hate this school.”

He and Dave both freeze, and the door slams shut. A moment passes before Karkat dissolves into laughter, burying his face against Dave’s neck.

“Fuck, I think that was Eridan,” he giggles. “He’s in my English Lit class. I’ll never be able to look at him with a straight face again.”

Dave lets out a choked laugh. Karkat’s breath tickles his neck and he shivers. 

“Holy sh-shit, dude, that’s fuckin’ amazing. I gotta make it my personal mission now to make sure he keeps walkin’ in on us because that shit is fuckin’ hysterical.”

His laugh turns into a moan as Karkat shifts inside him, and his grip on Karkat’s hand tightens. _Fuck._

“Ok, I know this doesn’t help me sound not-bossy, but-- ah-- you need to get back to fuckin’ me like right the fuck now, dude. Please?” It comes out as an embarrassing whimper and Dave doesn’t even care.

Dave says please and it sends a shiver through Karkat’s entire body. He falls back into his rhythm easily, and the hand gripping Dave’s hip finds its way to his dick. He strokes him firmly with every thrust. He’s a panting, moaning mess, no better than Dave.

“I like that you’re bossy,” he admits. He can feel his orgasm building, a warm pressure coiling inside him. Dave is so lovely, tight and warm and perfect. “Anything you want.”

Fuck, that didn’t even make sense, did it? He speeds up, desperate. He doesn’t want to cum before Dave does; he wants to feel Dave clench around him, tense and release beneath him, but--

“Fuck, Dave,” he gasps. “Are you--I’m so fucking close--I”

Fuck, jesus, that’s it. His eyes roll back and he sinks his teeth into the meat of Dave’s shoulder, body tensing. He feels lightning from his head to his toes and cums harder than he ever has in his life, harder even than when Dave sucked him off earlier. He eagerly drives his dick into Dave until it’s too much, he’s overwhelmed.

_Anything you want_ , Karkat says, and Dave shivers. Karkat really actually _likes_ him, doesn’t he? Like, not just for his body or anything, he likes Dave’s personality. God, that’s fucking weird.

Karkat starts going faster, stroking Dave’s dick. After only a few moments he warns Dave he’s close and-- oh, fuck, fuck, _fuck_! Dave moans and tenses up as Karkat bites his shoulder again and _cums_ , fucking into him hard. Dave’s hand squeezes Karkat’s, and Karkat’s hips slap against his ass. He feels so connected to Karkat that it almost feels like he came, himself. 

Almost. 

He’s still hard, though, and as Karkat comes down from his high, Dave whines and ruts back against him, trying to fuck himself on Karkat’s softening boner. He knows Karkat already got him off twice tonight and asking for a third time would just be greedy, but his dick doesn’t care about manners, and it’s the one driving his meat sack right now.

Karkat is still coming down from his high, pleasant aftershocks zipping through his body, when he hears Dave whining. Fuck, he really just came without getting Dave off, didn’t he?

“Gimme a second,” he says. He untangles their hands reluctantly, and places Dave’s hand on the cold tile wall. “Stay there.”

He pulls out of Dave and removes the condom, tying it off and tossing it into the corner of the stall to be dealt with later. He looks at Dave, hands splayed on the shower wall, shoulders a mess of bruises and bite marks. He moves closer, presses a kiss to Dave’s spine, and sinks to his knees.

“Tell me if you want me to stop,” he says. He spreads Dave’s ass and leans in, licking a line up and down before he pushes his tongue into Dave’s hole. He fucks his tongue in and out, setting a brutal pace, and adds a finger to the mix too.

His other hand wraps around Dave’s dick and pumps it hard and fast. Dave is a trembling mess and Karkat can’t believe he’s this lucky.

Karkat tells Dave to stay put, and it’s fuckin’ hot being told what to do, so he stays, his hands pressed up against the wall and his legs shaking. Even though he really really wants to reach down and touch himself, he holds back.

He’s glad he does, because only a few seconds later, Karkat’s kneeling behind him and holy goddamn fuck-- he starts straight up _tongue fucking_ him. Jesus christ on a flying carpet. 

Dave’s barely wrapped his head around the fact that this is actually happening to him before Karkat’s grabbing his dick and jacking him and oh god.

It’s all too much. The hot wet tongue fucking in and out of his hole, the finger pressing against his prostate, the hand on his dick--- he cries out as he orgasms for his third time tonight. A weak dribble of cum spurts out onto Karkat’s hand and is quickly washed away by the shower water.

The second Karkat’s finger and tongue are out of his ass, Dave topples over and slides down onto the floor, his head spinning. He presses his palms over his eyes and groans.

“Holy shit, I’m gonna fucking pass out, that was too goddamn good, jesus-- Karkat-- I think you fuckin’ broke me.”

Dave cums and his fucking legs give out and if that’s not the hottest thing Karkat’s ever seen he doesn’t know what is. He scoots back, off his knees and onto his ass, and pulls Dave into his chest. He’s tired and satiated and there’s so much skin contact happening.

“Probably not a good idea to pass out in the shower,” he says.

He can’t resist nuzzling his face in Dave’s wet hair. They should get up but fuck, Karkat doesn’t want this to end. He wants to stay curled up with Dave forever. He presses a kiss to Dave’s temple, trails his hand up and down Dave’s arm soothingly as Dave recovers.

Eventually Karkat can’t put it off anymore. His legs are going numb and his ass hurts and the water has turned lukewarm at best, so he nudges Dave and says, “C’mon, up.”

He helps Dave stand and they rinse off one more time. He smiles at Dave as they step out of the stall and grabs his towel, tossing it over Dave’s head and reaching up to rub it all over his hair with a laugh. When Dave pulls it off his hair is a mess and Karkat leans up to kiss him.

“You look ridiculous,” he says. He wonders if Dave can hear the affection in his voice.

Really he looks breathtaking. Karkat takes a moment to admire him, his lithe form and red eyes and scars and lovebites. Fuck, Karkat is so goddamn in love. He desperately hopes this wasn’t a one time thing.

He towels off and pulls his clothes on. He’s not looking forward to returning to his cold bed, trying to sleep without a blanket.

Dave gets dressed in silence, too exhausted to even mumble to himself for once. He does have enough energy to admire Karkat’s ass, though, before he tragically covers it with his pants. Oh well, Dave will be able to see it again soon, he hopes. He will, won’t he? Shit, they really didn’t talk about the whole are-we-boyfriends-now thing at all, did they? Just went straight to fuckin’ tongueing each other’s assholes.

He knows they should talk about this shit, but he’s so fucking tired he doesn’t think he can handle it right now.

He grabs his shower caddy and then freezes as he remembers he was gonna ask Karkat if he wants to sleep in his bed tonight. Fuck, why is he so much more nervous about this than asking to suck his dick? 

Dave watches Karkat gather his things, and shifts from side to side, still not sure if he’s going to ask. They leave the bathroom together and go down the hall to their rooms. Dave pauses in front of his door. 

“Um,” he stalls. “So, that was fun.” 

He winces.

“Sorry, I’m-- god. I think you fucked me so good that my brain liquified itself and shot out my dickhole. Uh. Yeah, I had a good time. With you. Tonight.”

Jesus christ, this is painful.

Dave is acting awkward as fuck and it doesn’t fill Karkat with confidence. He’s suddenly sure that he fucked up somehow, somewhere along the line, but he has no idea where or how. It seemed like Dave enjoyed himself, but maybe Karkat had crossed a line somewhere and not known it.

But Dave says he had a good time, which is… good. Yeah.

“Yeah, me too,” Karkat says. He shifts his weight and bites his lip. He tries to remember Dave’s words earlier, slurring about how Karkat was the guy he liked.

“Do you… want to do this again? Sometime?” he asks. He grimaces at himself. “Or maybe go out on an actual fucking date first?”

He wonders if getting drunk on the roof counts as a date. Probably not. He glances at the door to his room, planning a quick escape if Dave turns him down.

“Yeah!” Dave nods eagerly. “Fuck yeah, that sounds amazing. Uh. Actually if you want to, like--” Ugh, why is he blushing right now, this is so stupid.

“--I mean I know it's not the most traditional order of things, sharing a bed before our first date but if you _wanted_ to, I mean I know your blankets are all like dirty and shit now, right? Not that I’m asking you out of any obligation or anything! I just thought maybe you'd want to? Because I want to. Uh. Fuck this is stupid, sorry, you seriously don't have to though. Sleep in my bed with me, I mean. Did I say that part? Shit. I-- um.”

He forces himself to stop talking, staring at the ground resolutely. Why is he so fucking _bad_ at this? 

Dave agrees instantly, and Karkat’s heart soars. He doesn’t have time to appreciate the feeling, though, because Dave is talking a mile a minute, face getting redder and redder with every word. He drops his eyes to the ground and stares at it like it’s the most interesting thing in the world while Karkat tries to parse what the fuck he just said.

It takes a moment, but then Karkat is smiling wide. He steps forward, closing the space between them.

“Yes,” he says, taking Dave’s hand and ducking his head to press a kiss to Dave’s downturned face. “I’d love to sleep with you. In your bed, I mean.”

He can’t stop smiling. Fuck, Dave is so cute. Karkat has no idea why the fuck he’s so nervous, after Karkat admitted to having a crush on him since they met, but it’s really fucking endearing.

He doesn’t think he’s ever been happier. Dave said yes! To a date! With him! And Karkat’s going to sleep with him in his bed, curled up around him and they’re gonna wake up together and it’s everything he refused to let himself want.

He just hopes he doesn’t do anything to mess this up.

Dave looks up, still embarrassed because seriously, what _was_ that? But Karkat said yes. Karkat actually wants to spend more time with his dumb ass, despite every stupid thing he’s done and said tonight. He can’t stop a smile from spreading across his face. 

“Fuck yeah! I mean, uh. Cool.” He clears his throat, trying not to look so dopey and happy. 

Then a worry occurs to him and he furrows his eyebrows. 

“Sollux might still be up, he was awake when I went to grab my shit earlier. Is that ok with you? He’ll probably be a dick about, uh, _us_. But he’s gonna find out sooner or later anyway, so.” 

He really hopes that doesn't make Karkat change his mind, but the last thing he wants is for Karkat to stumble into an uncomfortable situation without warning. 

Karkat’s stomach flips at the way Dave says _us_. Are they an us now? Holy shit.

“Sollux can get fucked, I don’t care what he thinks,” Karkat says. He and Sollux are friends, mostly. Friends that snark and insult each other with every other breath. Sollux has been and will be a dick about literally anything Karkat does.

“C’mon, I’m fucking exhausted,” he says, tugging Dave by the hand. He opens Dave’s door and Sollux glances up from his computer. His eyes flick up and down, taking in their appearance and clasped hands, and his lip curls.

“You need higher standards,” he says, turning back to his computer. Karkat’s not sure which one of them he’s referring to.

“Eat shit, you footfucking dickbagel,” Karkat snaps back absentmindedly. He’s too busy taking in Dave’s room. It’s cleaner than he imagined, but it’s still pretty messy.

Dave’s heart lifts as Karkat dismisses his concern and drags him into the room. He laughs at Karkat's creative rebuttal to Sollux. Karkat’s so funny, fuck, Dave likes him so goddamn much. 

He puts his shower shit down and grabs his pajamas and a fresh pair of boxers. Wearing the cum-stained undies after his shower just didn’t seem right, so he’s going commando right now. 

“Uh, I’m gonna change now,” he tells Karkat, not sure if he should go in the closet or not. 

He’s used to changing in front of Sollux, and Karkat’s also seen him naked now, but this feels different somehow. Deciding to stay where he is, he tugs off his pants, leaving them in a pile on the floor, and quickly pulls on his clean clothes. 

“Do you wanna borrow something to wear? I've got some spare jammies,” he offers. 

He knows Karkat’s room is literally right across the hall and Karkat could just go get his own pj’s, but he kind of really wants to see Karkat in his clothes. 

Dave strips and Karkat watches appreciatively. He knows he just saw Dave naked not even a few minutes ago but christ, he doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of looking at him.

Karkat could go grab his own clothes but he likes the thought of wearing Dave’s. They probably won’t fit right but fuck it, Karkat’s weak for cliches and boyfriend clothes are at the top of that list, apparently.

“Yeah, sure,” he says. Dave tosses him a pair of pants and a well-worn red T-shirt.

Karkat hesitates for a second before changing, but pushes away his anxiety. He strips and pulls the pants on. They’re too long and pool around his feet. The T-shirt is tight across his arms and chest and he feels a bit bad because it’s definitely gonna be stretched out after this.

He likes how it feels, though, wearing Dave’s clothes, a clear sign that he’s Dave’s, and the hickeys decorating Dave’s neck announcing that Dave is his, too.

Karkat fills out Dave’s shirt with his muscular arms and pecs and _damn_ , Dave actually thinks he might start drooling right here.

“Damn, look how big your arms are!” He circles both his hands around one of Karkat’s biceps. “Holy shit dude. You could probably bench me. _Can_ you bench me? Oh man. You should--”

He cuts himself off with a loud yawn. 

“Fuck, okay, I’ll keep ogling you more tomorrow but I gotta actually sleep now. It’s--” he checks the clock, “fuckin’ seven a.m., holy shit.”

He climbs into bed, scooting over to leave room for Karkat. 

“C’mon in, dude.” He pats the sheet, yawning again. His eyes are already drooping shut.

Dave gropes his arm and Karkat blushes. He doesn’t think he’s anything special, but Dave seems to. It also puts a new spin on all the times Dave touched his arms.

And holy fuck Dave is adorable when he’s tired. Karkat’s fucking exhausted too, but he kind of wants to stay up just to watch Dave fall asleep, and wow that’s creepy as fuck.

He climbs into bed, scooting so close to Dave they’re pressed up against each other, and he can still feel his ass hanging off the tiny bed. He wraps an arm around Dave and maneuvers them into a more comfortable position with Dave mostly on his chest. He runs a hand through Dave’s hair and lets his eyes slip shut.

“You’re light as fuck, Dave,” he says sleepily. He’s talking softly for once, too tired to put any energy into it. “I could bench you no problem. I’ll show you sometime.”

He feels Dave move and peeks an eye open to see Dave looking up at him with interest. He laughs, because he’s overtired and everything is funny, especially Dave’s ridiculous interest in his benching prowess.

“Later,” he promises. He’s tired and clean and satiated and filled with warmth. There’s gonna be a later, because Dave _likes_ him, and they’re gonna go on a _date_.

With Dave on his chest and in his arms, already snoring lightly, Karkat thinks blearily, _life is good_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the ending we'd originally planned buuuuut we both love this rp so much that we decided to continue doing a few more scenes! stay tuned <3


	5. Now What?

The past week has been a rollercoaster for Karkat. It’s been exactly one week since he and Dave got drunk together, confessed, and had sex. Multiple times. Some things are blurry when he tries to think back; he’d been drunk, after all. Other things stand out in perfect relief: Dave’s red eyes, his laughter, the way his wet hair clung to his forehead and his hands scrambled for purchase on the shower wall.

His cheeks heat up and he pushes those thoughts away. It was an amazing night, probably the best Karkat’s ever had (for various reasons) but… But Dave hasn’t said anything about their date. They’ve seen each other, a few times. Dave’s hickeys still haven’t fully faded and Karkat can’t stop himself from eyeing them.

Their friends teased them like hell for a few days, but would Dave shoot him a little smile and suddenly Karkat found the strength to suffer under it. They’ve talked, and stared, and avoided eye contact, and every time he’s around Dave Karkat gets butterflies even worse than before but. Neither of them have brought up a date. Or even another hookup.

Karkat would be down for a hookup. It would be a crushing disappointment, considering he might be in love with Dave, but he’d take it. He’d take anything Dave offered, how fucking pathetic is that?

But even if all Dave wanted was sex, that would be okay. It was _good_ sex, or at least, Karkat thinks so. Dave came three times, and Karkat managed to cum not once but _twice_ , while someone else was touching him. It didn’t feel weird or wrong or like something was missing. He didn’t have to make an excuse, or force himself not to recoil, or frantically jerk himself off afterwards.

It was good. It was great. They fucking cuddled and fell asleep afterwards, like in the smutty romance novels he devoured in high school. But the longer time goes on the more Karkat thinks that Dave just… doesn’t want to do it again.

“Fuck,” he groans, dropping his head onto his desk. He’s been trying to work on this essay for an hour, but Dave keeps invading his thoughts.

He sighs, standing up and stretching. Maybe he’ll go for a walk or something. Try to clear his head. It couldn’t hurt.

He grabs his wallet in case he decides to drop by the campus co-op and heads out.

Dave’s sitting in the library, trying to read a book for class, and he can’t. Fucking. Focus. All he can think about right now--all he’s been able to think about for the past week--is Karkat. Karkat’s hands all over him, the bites and marks he left all over Dave’s chest and back, the way he licked Dave open and made him cum _three times_. Jesus, Dave’s getting hot all over just remembering it. He’s jerked off to the memory of Karkat’s tongue in his ass every night this week. 

Even more than the sex, though, Dave’s preoccupied with his… ugh… _feelings_. The way Karkat looks at him across the room makes Dave’s heart squeeze and his stomach clench up and his palms get sweaty. He wants to be near Karkat every minute of every day. Every time they’re in the same room together, he can’t stop watching Karkat out of the corner of his eye the whole time.

He’s just so fucking cute and funny and sweet and perfect and Dave’s-- Dave’s pretty sure he’s in love with him, god dammit. And it scares the shit out of him.

He has no idea what he’s doing, first of all. He wants to romance Karkat, take him out on the perfect date that will make him swoon like a southern belle, but Dave’s basically never even been out on a real date before. The only thing remotely close was his prom night in high school. He’d gone with a group of friends and their dates to a sushi restaurant, and Dave and his date both got food poisoning and had to go home before the dance even started. So yeah, he doesn’t really count that as valuable dating experience.

The rest of his “romantic” life so far has consisted of swiping right on a stranger, exchanging a few texts, and meeting up to watch Netflix, drink or smoke weed, and fuck on the couch.

Dave’s reasonably good at the sex part of that equation at this point in his life, but he hasn’t had so much luck getting people to actually like him, like, as a person. Usually the minute he starts talking, he gets nervous and tries to be funny but just ends up sounding like a tool. He’s learned the hard way that he needs to keep his mouth shut if he actually wants someone to call him again.

Except, he’s been acting like a tool around Karkat the entire time he’s known him, and Karkat… still likes him? It doesn’t really make sense, but Dave’s determined not to fuck it up.

Which is why he’s been spending this entire week planning the perfect first date. He’s got it all planned out-- he’s going to take Karkat to the aquarium, show him some cute animals and fish and shit, maybe walk around on the docks a bit, have a nice dinner out, and then top the night off with some stargazing at the observatory just outside of town. All he’s got left to do is, uh, ask Karkat out on said date.

He swears he’s going to, soon, he’s not _scared_ or anything, he’s just. Polishing up the details, finalizing all his plans. Everything has to be perfect, okay?

His stomach grumbles and he groans, giving up on the reading assignment for now. He can’t concentrate anyway, his mind is going in a million different directions, all of them somehow leading back to Karkat.

He packs his books away and heads down to the campus co-op. Of course, as soon as he arrives his mind immediately jumps to Karkat again, remembering how Karkat told Dave he’d once hooked up with someone behind that building. Out in public… in the open where anyone could have seen his hot naked ass… Fuckin’ hell. Dave doesn’t know if he’s into that because it’s a specific kink he’s got, or just because thinking about Karkat having sex in any context gets him harder than the entrance exams at a prestigious Japanese high school.

He gets in line to buy a sandwich and his heart thumps when he sees Karkat’s familiar curly hair across the room, sitting at a table. He buys his food and winds his way over to Karkat, plopping himself down at the table without invitation.

“Sup,” he greets him.

He opens and closes his mouth stupidly because fuck, he hadn’t actually planned any farther than this. He just saw Karkat and automatically wanted to be near him, but he has no idea what to say to him. Aside from asking him out on that date. Which he’s totally going to do. Any time now. Yep.

He busies himself with unwrapping his sandwich, and takes a big bite in an attempt to stall until he can think of something cool and funny and romantic and sexy to say, something that will make Karkat fall in love with him for sure. No pressure, though, ha ha.

As he makes his way across campus Karkat is stopped by quite a few people who want to say hello, or ask him what he’s up to, or if he’s done this assignment or that one yet. He sees John wave at him wildly from across the lawn, booking it to a class he’s probably late for. He’s not sure when exactly he acquired so many friends.

He finally makes it to the co-op, buys a bag of chips and a soda, and sits down near a window. He pulls a book out of his bag and settles in to read about Gabriella and her gruff on the outside, soft on the inside husband.

Before he can get invested, however, Dave Strider slides into the chair across from him. He’s got his signature shades on and he hasn’t got a hair out of place. He looks like he just stepped off of some douchey fashion shoot and Karkat is very aware of his own well-worn hoodie and sweatpants.

“Hey,” he says back, mouth twitching into a smile. He tries to think of something to say but his mind comes up blank. The moment stretches awkwardly and he hates it. “Uh.. What’s up?”

He resists the urge to bash his head into the table.

The thing is, Karkat isn’t even really sure why Dave likes him. He knows that Dave has some sort of weird thing for his biceps but beyond that… Karkat’s kind of an asshole. And not very attractive, if his entire life experience is anything to go by.

He’s got resting bitch face like a motherfucker, a mop of curly hair that rebels at the mere thought of a brush, a fat nose and a closet full of clothes that hide his body. He talks too much and too loud, he cares too much about everything, and he’s got anger and self-esteem issues that any seasoned therapist would wilt in front of.

The point being, Karkat isn’t someone worthwhile. Let alone compared to Dave, who’s hilarious and endearingly idiotic and hot as fuck, who could probably go up to anyone and get their number without a problem. But he likes Karkat. Or at least he did a week ago.

Dave chews for a long time, then finally swallows his bite of sandwich. He miraculously doesn’t choke on it.

“Uh, not much,” he answers.

Wow, that’s the response it took him so long to come up with? Nice fuckin’ going, Dave. Karkat’s giving him a weird look, too. Fuck, he can tell he’s acting weird, he needs to say something. Why isn’t he saying anything??

He clears his throat. “So, um, whatcha readin’?”

Okay, this can work. He looked up advice online for how to get boys to like you and it said to show interest in their hobbies and activities.

He chews his lip nervously. Why is this so difficult? They were vibing so well the other day (the day they had SEX!!! his brain shouts gleefully at him) but now it’s all like, awkward. He wants to fix it somehow, make things smooth and easy between them again, but he doesn’t know how.

He should have looked up an advice column about how to act normal around the guy you’re in love with after you had the best sex of your life and he brought you to three separate orgasms in the span of, like, an hour. Yeah. He’s sure there’s probably an article on that exact subject somewhere.

Dave’s acting weird, and there’s a little voice in his head telling him that Dave’s about to say he wants to forget about the whole thing, that it was just a stupid drunk mistake. But instead he asks about Karkat’s book. Karkat glances down like he’s surprised to find it there and, for the first time in probably his entire life, feels insecure about his choice in literature.

“It’s a romance novel,” he says, snapping it shut and shoving it back into his bag. “You probably wouldn’t be interested.”

Oh fuck, was that rude? That sounded mean as shit. Jesus christ, can he not hold a conversation for five minutes without fucking it up? God, it was so easy to talk to Dave on the rooftop. What happened to that?

“I mean,” he clears his throat. “I just started it and it seems pretty shit so far, and you can barely stand me talking about _good_ romance novels so you’d probably rip your own eardrums out in a desperate attempt to drown me out if I went on about a bad one.”

He shoves a chip in his mouth just to shut himself up. Fucking hell.

“Man, I will totally listen to you talk to me all about your shitty romance novels, as long as you share some of that soda with me. Davey forgot to buy a drink and now he’s thiwsty, c’mon Karkat, you won’t just let me stay parched, will you? Not when you’re right here-- I mean, when your _drink_ is right here. For me to wrap my dry ol’ lips around and… suck down...”

Jesus. First he doesn’t have anything to say, and now he can’t fuckin’ _stop_ talking, about the dumbest fucking thing possible, too. No wonder people get sick of his dumb ass so fast.

Also, Karkat seems like he might be kind of pissed? But Dave’s not sure if it’s just Karkat being Karkat or whether he’s actually mad at Dave for something. If he is, it’s probably that he’s irritated about how long it’s taking for Dave to ask him out on their super cool and romantic date. Shit. Maybe he should just suck it up and ask him now. But what if it’s not the right moment? Karkat might not appreciate being asked out in the middle of the campus co-op, that’s not really romantic, is it?

Fuck, Dave is so unprepared for this. He should have just pretended he didn’t see Karkat and went off on his merry way until he was ready to actually see him again. Except, he can’t really regret it, because-- he looks at Karkat, and he can’t hold back a small smile. Just, like, _look_ at the guy. He’s so ridiculously hot and pretty and cute and amazing, and he hasn’t even told Dave to fuck off yet.

Dave’s heart thumps; he can’t take his eyes off Karkat’s face, eyes tracing over the lips he remembers kissing last week. Thank god he’s got his shades on to keep him from looking like even more of a desperate jackass.

Dave rambles, and refers to himself in the third person like a tool, and talks about his fucking _lips_ and _sucking_ and Karkat’s blood rushes to his cheeks. He pushes his soda across the table silently, avoiding looking Dave in the eyes--or shades.

He bites his lip. It’s not often someone offers to listen to him talk about his books. In fact, it’s mostly only Dave who’s willing to sit through his tangential bullshit, which is. Huh. That’s something to think about. And honestly, anything to get Dave to stop talking about… that.

“Well…” he starts off hesitantly, but then decides fuck it. He’s never been good at being anyone but himself anyway. “Okay, so it’s actually the second book in the series and the first one wasn’t that bad. It had a few plot holes but the characterization and relationships were solid. But then this second one starts and suddenly the love interest is _clearly_ cheating, and this came out of fucking nowhere, so like what the fuck, right? And--”

Once he starts he can’t stop, working himself up into a rant about how you can’t just change a character out of nowhere, and the pitfalls of writing a sequel for a romance that had a clear cut end in the first place. He doesn’t realize just how much he’s been talking until he goes to reach for his soda and it’s not there.

He stops talking abruptly, suddenly aware that Dave hasn’t said anything in… awhile.

“So uh. Yeah,” he shrugs.

As Karkat starts talking, Dave sips on the soda and prepares to pretend like he’s paying attention. He gets his innocent listening face all dusted off and ready for a stellar performance; Karkat can really go on forever about romance novels sometimes, Dave knows what he’s getting himself into.

Except he forgets about pretending to listen, because he gets distracted by _actually_ listening to what Karkat’s saying. He gets so invested in it that he doesn’t notice himself drinking down all of Karkat’s soda all by himself, until Karkat reaches for it and looks confused that it’s gone.

“Oh fuck, sorry, I didn’t mean to drink the whole thing, uh. I’ll totally buy you another soda,” he apologizes. “But first, wait, damn dude! You really know your shit, huh? That was some badass literary analysis you just did. I feel like I shoulda been takin’ notes or something, I just got my ass thoroughly schooled in romance.”

He taps his fingers on the table.

“Uh, actually speaking of romance...” _Wow, smooth fucking segue, Dave, you must be taking film studies in order to be pullin’ off a skilled transition like that._

He swallows. “Um. So, we talked about like, going on a date sometime right?” His voice squeaks on the word ‘date’ and he wants to fucking die. C’mon, just fuckin’ _spit it out_ , Strider.

“Did you still, uh, want to? Go on a date type thing? With me?”

Okay, so he guesses that could have come out more awkward and embarrassing. Maybe. If he’d like, rolled up to Karkat in full clown makeup and loudly shit himself while asking him out. That would have probably been worse. He thinks.

Karkat can’t fucking handle the emotions he’s got going on right now. Dave just complimented him on his ‘literary analysis,’ like he was actually listening to the crap Karkat was spewing and it was worth something. It’s a weird feeling.

Then Dave finally, _finally_ brings up their date, and Karkat’s heart launches itself into his throat. Some sort of pavlovian response leftover from high school has him glancing around, looking for a group of people waiting to laugh at him for falling for the same prank _again_ but he quickly shuts that shit down. This isn’t high school, and Dave wouldn’t do that. Probably.

“Yeah,” he says, voice cracking. If there’s a god, let it strike him down here and now. He waits a moment but is let down once more by the universe at large. “Yeah, I mean. If you still want to.”

“Do you have something in mind?” he asks. He sounds too eager, doesn’t he? Fuck, tone it down. Definitely don’t reveal the endless list of date ideas he’s kept in his head since he turned thirteen.

God, anything they do will probably be better than the shitty dates Karkat’s been on before. Small talk and overpriced food, a clear lack of interest on both sides. He and Dave could go for a walk across campus and Karkat would be over the moon so long as it ended with a kiss. Or more, maybe. He doesn’t want to push his luck, in case it was a fluke or a result of the alcohol but. More could be nice.

Dave’s heart flips over in his chest when Karkat says yes, and he flushes happily.

“Yeah, I, uh, had some ideas in mind,” he says casually, as if he doesn’t have a twelve-point plan for his Date With Karkat drawn up in a notebook that he’s carrying in his backpack at this very moment. “I was thinkin’, if you wanted to, we could check out the aquarium downtown. And maybe get dinner afterward?”

He doesn’t mention the star-gazing part of his plan, he wants Karkat to be surprised and totally swept away by the romance of it all. Maybe it’ll even make him want to be Dave’s official boyfriend.

Dave’s planning on asking Karkat about that at the end of the date, if it all goes well. He guesses they could, in theory, talk about it _anytime_ , like even right now, but his gut clenches in terror at the mere prospect of broaching the subject. Anyway, he thinks he’s less likely to get rejected if he asks after taking Karkat on a super romantic and cool date, as opposed to after interrupting his reading time and drinking his entire soda.

“What do you say? Wanna go hold hands while looking at some fish?”

He winces, because wow, that sounds. Fucking lame as hell, instead of romantic. He crosses his fingers under the table and hopes Karkat still says yes.

An _aquarium_ date? Holy shit that’s adorable. Karkat tries not to be too obvious about staring at Dave with tiny hearts in his eyes. He feels himself break into a grin and a hand automatically comes up to hide his ugly smile.

“Sounds great,” he says. “Aquariums are fun.”

Or they were when he was in elementary school. He doesn’t really have an interest in aquatic life beyond a healthy fear of the ocean, but he remembers the aquarium being pretty as fuck. But holding hands with Dave while looking at fish sounds like the best idea anyone has ever had.

He knows he’s ridiculous, getting flustered at the thought of holding hands, but he desperately wants that. And maybe if Karkat manages to keep his shit together they could go out on _another_ date, too.

That’s getting a bit ahead of himself, though. First he has to blunder his way through this one and hope Dave doesn’t come to his senses. Fuck, Karkat can’t get over the fact that Dave’s put actual thought into this, what he’d like to do with Karkat. On their _date_. It’s not Karkat reaching out, having his ideas shot down one by one.

“When were you thinking?” he sounds normal, and not like he’s losing his shit, which is good. He just has to play it cool. Something he is notoriously terrible at. Fuck.

Even sitting here with Dave in the campus co-op, sharing food and ranting about shitty sequels is better than the dates he’s been on. Maybe it’s the company.

Oh, cool, Karkat’s into the date idea. Dave’s heart totally isn’t beating out of his chest right now with relief and anticipation.

He smiles back at Karkat, who’s covering his cute grin with his hand for some reason. Dave wants to lean over the table and kiss him. He sits on his hands to stop himself from doing anything stupid. He tries to school his own expression but his face won’t behave, so he just sits there smiling like a cheesy schmuck at Karkat.

“Tomorrow’s Saturday, I’m free then--? Or we can wait til next weekend, if you have plans already or something,” he amends quickly. Fuckin’ dumbass, he probably does have plans, the guy’s popular as hell. Dave’s got enough friends, but Karkat’s on, like, another _level_. Everybody seems to like him. And no wonder why, he’s just an amazing guy, he’s so fuckin’... perfect, fuck, Dave can’t believe Karkat likes him.

Karkat’s supposed to study with Kanaya tomorrow. They don’t take any of the same classes but they quiz each other just fine. Kanaya will understand, though. In fact she’ll probably be thrilled. Karkat’s mind races ahead, already planning the message he’s gonna send to get her to work her magic on his ridiculous hair once again.

“Tomorrow’s perfect,” he says quickly, then internally cringes. “I mean, yeah, it’s fine.”

He’s so fucking excited. He smiles at Dave, closed mouth so his fucked up teeth aren’t on display.

They agree on a time and Karkat hesitates before gathering up his trash. He wants to hang out with Dave some more, talk about inconsequential shit, maybe see if he can get him to laugh. Dave has a great laugh. But he doesn’t want to wear out his welcome before they even get to the date, and besides, he has an essay to finish.

“See you tomorrow,” he says reluctantly. He gives Dave a little wave like a complete idiot and tosses his shit in the trash on the way out. He digs his phone out of his pocket and sends Kanaya a message that just says ‘HELP.’

She’ll understand.

Dave spends the rest of the day and night in a state of simultaneous elation and anxiety. His stomach is in knots, he barely eats any dinner, and he lies awake in bed thinking about Karkat and his adorable smile and his perfect ass and how much he doesn’t want to fuck this up. When he’s finally able to fall asleep, he dreams about Karkat’s hot hands and mouth all over his body, licking all over his dick, fingers plunged deep inside his hole.

He wakes up hard and aching, and sneaks off to the showers to jerk himself off because _fuck_ he needs his fingers inside himself _now_ , and he’s not quiet enough to get away with that in his shared room. He comes all over the shower wall with his thighs quaking and Karkat’s name on his lips.

After taking an actual shower, he goes back to his room and attempts to do homework for the rest of the morning. An hour or so before the date, he starts getting ready. He spends a long time styling his hair, ignoring Sollux’s sarcastic comments because fuck him, Dave’s hair needs to look perfect today.

He gets dressed in a white shirt, red blazer and dark gray jeans. He thinks about adding a tie because he knows he looks damn good in them, but decides--after another quick google search--that it’d be too stuffy and formal.

Grabbing his wallet, he heads out into the hallway to stand in front of Karkat’s closed door. He takes a deep breath and knocks, his heart pounding so loud he feels like it should be echoing in the hall.

Kanaya comes over early in the morning because she’s a good friend and also she really needs help studying. She teases Karkat in between rounds of flashcards and passive aggressively insults his sense of fashion. Karkat puts up with it because she’s not wrong and also he really needs her help wrangling his hair into something presentable.

But after everything--studying, a quick shower, sitting through Kanaya putting some sort of product in his hair and her tugging--it’s not the usual style she does for him when he goes on dates. Instead it’s somehow even _more_ messy, if in a purposeful way.

“Kanaya what the fuck?” he asks. It doesn’t look _bad_ exactly, but it’s not what he was expecting. When he turns to look at her, she’s smiling smugly.

“I believe Dave will appreciate this style more,” she says, and when he demands to know why she thinks that she adds, “He’s not very subtle, is he? Besides, I am friends with his sister. I have insider knowledge.”

She blushes when she mentions Dave’s sister, and Karkat gets his revenge for earlier by teasing her about it until she threatens to ruin his hair. She insists on adding some makeup to his face, which he doesn’t argue against anymore. When she leaves she gives him a hug and he can’t resist urging her to ask Dave’s sister out.

“Focus on your own love life,” she says, but pats his face gently and says she’ll consider it.

He gets dressed in his usual date outfit; a light grey henley and a pair of nice dark wash jeans. The outfit is too tight around his arms and his hips but he’s been assured it makes him look passable, at least.

He’s practically buzzing by the time he hears a knock on his door and opens it up to see Dave, looking perfect and swoon-worthy, as fucking usual. His stomach flutters.

“Hey,” he says, and his voice doesn’t crack. He grabs his wallet and shoves it in his back pocket. “I’m ready. You look good.”

It’s an understatement, but it’s all he’s got. He’s lucky his mouth is forming coherent sentences at all.

Dave was expecting Karkat to look good, because duh, it’s _Karkat_ , but-- holy _shit_. Karkat’s hair is doing something that should be illegal for how sexy it is. Like his normal hairstyle looks messy-hot all the time and Dave’s always ready to swoon over it, but this… Dave’s hands twitch and he has to restrain himself from grabbing Karkat and dragging him into bed right the fuck now. And, oh god, is he wearing makeup too?

Dave’s knees are weak and he tries to remember how to breathe while Karkat’s back is turned to grab his wallet. He’s too fucking gay for this, jesus.

His stomach flutters at Karkat’s compliment.

“You look-- I mean, _wow_. Like. I mean, yeah, you... you look good too,” he finishes weakly, his face heating up.

They stand there in awkward silence for a moment before Dave remembers he’s the one with the date plans.

“So!” he says, too loudly, and clears his throat. “Aquarium time? You ready to go observe some stuff that lives in the water? Like, fish and shit? Let’s go!”

He turns and leads them down the hall, cringing at himself. Why is he like this?! What sadistic asshole gave him the ability to open his mouth and make words come out? He wants to crawl in a hole and never come back out… except then he wouldn’t get to see Karkat’s gorgeous face anymore.

Dave compliments him and Karkat feels blood rush to his cheeks. Maybe Kanaya was right about the hair. He’s still trying to get used to the idea of Dave somehow, miraculously, finding him attractive.

They stare at each other, getting redder and redder, and before Karkat can remember to say thank you Dave is turning away and talking about the aquarium.

Karkat’s tempted to grab his hand as they walk to Dave’s car, but fuck, would that be too forward? Dave seems nervous and Karkat doesn’t want to make it worse. Besides, his hand is all sweaty and probably gross. Yeah, best not to risk it.

“Have you been to the aquarium before?” he asks Dave as they climb into his car. Dave puts on something Karkat will never admit is catchy, but he can’t help but tap his foot to the beat.

Dave starts down the road, nodding his head to the music, something he mixed recently. He notices Karkat’s foot tapping and his lips turn up in a small smile. He knew Karkat liked his shit, he just never admits it! Since they’re on a _date_ , though, Dave decides to be polite and not tease him about it.

“I’ve never been to this aquarium, but I did go to the one in Houston once for a class trip. It was pretty cool, they had this octopus mating show that I’m pretty sure gave me a tentacle fetish. I don’t think there’s any events like that today, though, sorry if I got your hopes up to see some octo-dong.”

He winces. Five minutes into the date and he’s already talking about tentacle porn?? So much for being romantic. Maybe he should just focus on driving and not talking. Ever again, preferably.

Karkat sees Dave wince and he laughs, turning his face towards the window so Dave won’t have to see his smile. Jesus christ, what a fucking _dork_ , Karkat can’t believe he likes him. He can’t believe Dave likes him back.

“Somehow I think I’ll survive without seeing octopi fucking,” he says. “Sounds like you’re gonna be missing out though. Hopefully you’ll be able to survive.”

“I’m adding this to the list, you know. Right under ‘fantasized about your cousin.’ Any other ammunition you wanna give me? Dark secrets I should know about?” He’s teasing, of course. He couldn’t give less of a shit about Dave’s fetishes as long as Karkat’s the one he’s exploring them with.

It’s his turn to wince at himself. At least he didn’t say that last part out loud. Why the fuck is he like this?

Dave groans and his cheeks heat up again. It seems like he’s going to be embarrassing himself through this entire date, doesn’t it?

“I still can’t believe I actually told you that. And that you _remember_ it too! Weren’t you supposed to be drunk that night? Completely unfair. The only embarrassing thing I got out of you was fuckin-- something about werewolf lingerie porn?? And you didn’t even seem self conscious about it so I don’t think it even counts.” He huffs and shakes his head.

Despite himself, Dave feels a tiny thrill run through him at the thought that Karkat actually remembers things about him. Even if they’re things Dave very much wishes he would forget. It still must mean Karkat likes him, right? Or at least that he’s got Karkat’s attention.

His stomach drops suddenly as he realizes they’ve slipped into their usual friend-banter again. Isn’t he supposed to be acting more… romantic? Or something? He read a bunch of advice columns and articles about romantic things to talk about on a first date, but they were all really basic shit like: Where do you work/go to school? or, What’s your favorite movie genre?

Dave already knows where Karkat goes to school, obviously, and Karkat literally never shuts up about rom-coms so it’s pretty clear what movies he likes. Honestly Dave already knows a lot of the basic introductory stuff about Karkat. So what the fuck is he supposed to talk about? He wracks his brain for something cool and romantic to say, but comes up short.

He glances nervously at Karkat and gives him a small smile, then turns his eyes quickly back to the road, nodding his head to the music.

“I hold my alcohol a lot better than you do,” Karkat says. He shrugs. “And why would I be self-conscious about that? Do you have any idea the shit that people tell me about their sex lives? It’s ridiculous.”

It really, honestly is. Not that he’d ever turn his friends away when they need a sympathetic ear--or, more likely, a swift kick in the ass--but what about him says ‘tell me in lurid detail about your sex life and/or fantasies’?

Dave seems nervous, and he’s being weirdly quiet, which is making Karkat nervous in turn. He’s not used to quiet Dave. Not that a break from his chatter isn’t appreciated every so often but… Karkat’s gotten used to it, and he likes when Dave talks.

He spends the rest of the ride trying to decide if it would be weird or not to tell Dave he likes the sound of his voice. They arrive at the aquarium long before he makes a decision, and he feels the excitement returning to him as he looks up at the building.


	6. A Date Type Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw for panic attack in this chapter

Karkat gathers his courage and grabs Dave’s hand as they walk up to pay for their entry, shooting him a closed-mouth smile.

“Ready to look at some fucking fish?” he asks, hoping his hand isn’t too sweaty.

Dave’s heart leaps into his throat when Karkat takes his hand. Holy shit, they’re holding hands. Wait, what the fuck is wrong with him? They had sex a week ago, why is _holding hands_ giving him butterflies? A hysterical laugh bubbles up inside him and he swallows it down, grinning at Karkat.

“So fucking ready.” He squeezes Karkat’s hand.

Unfortunately, he has to let go of Karkat in order to pull his card out of his wallet at the entrance booth. After Dave pays for both of them (glaring Karkat down when he tries to protest), he takes Karkat’s hand back in his, linking their fingers together. 

With his free hand, he holds up the mini-map he picked up at the front desk, tilting it so he and Karkat can both see it. He feels stupidly breathless standing this close to Karkat. 

He bumps Karkat playfully with his hip. “So… what do you wanna check out first? Looks like we got some fuckin’ uhhh some type of fish over here, some bigger red fish over here, maybe some kind of eels? Why is nothing on this map labeled? Oh, that’s a sea otter, I can definitely recognize those. Man, fuck this map, let’s just get our wander on.”

He drags Karkat down the nearest hall, into a dark viewing room. There’s a big tank of fish that look like they’re glowing in the dark. He watches Karkat from the corner of his eye, second guessing himself, not sure whether Karkat’s enjoying himself or just humoring him. Maybe this was a stupid date idea. Should he have just taken him to the movies or something like a normal person? Fuck. 

Dave releases Karkat’s hand to pay and Karkat mourns the loss even as he bitches at Dave for paying for them both. But as soon as he’s done he takes Karkat’s hand again and he can’t stop himself from smiling. His face is pleasantly warm as they look at the map.

“Oh fuck yes, let’s go see some otters,” Karkat says, excited. “I wanna see the penguins, too. Do you think they have dolphins? And look there’s sharks!”

He’s practically vibrating with excitement--Dave’s holding his _hand_ and they’re on a _date_ and they’re gonna look at fucking _otters_ , one of the cutest fucking animals in the world--and realizes he’s being a giant nerd. He tries to dial it back a bit as they follow the route on the map, but promptly forgets that as the otters come into view.

“Look!” he says, tugging Dave along by his hand to the glass. There aren’t many people here today but there’s a gaggle of children watching the otters and laughing. One of the otters has a little clam in its paws. “Holy fuck that’s adorable.”

Karkat gets a couple scowls from parents nearby but ignores them in favor of watching the otters swim around.

Holy shit, Karkat is so fucking cute, he’s dragging Dave all around like an excited little kid and cursing up a storm about the goddamn otters. Dave’s heart flips over in his chest as he realizes for the hundredth time how much he fucking cares about this guy. How good it feels to see him happy.

He resists the urge to plant a kiss on Karkat, and satisfies himself by thrilling in the fact that they’re still holding hands. He tears his eyes away from Karkat’s adorable expression to look at the actual otters.

“Oh, shit,” he remarks. “You’re right, babe, those are some cute fucking otters. God, do you think they know how cute they’re being? Are they posing like that on purpose? C’mere, let’s take a selfie in front of them, these adorable little bitches are just _begging_ to be photographed.”

He pulls out his phone and waits for Karkat to turn around and face the camera, smirking at the way Karkat’s still just gawking at the otters. Score one for Dave, maybe this date idea wasn’t such a fail after all.

Dave calls him _babe_ and Karkat’s face lights up like a Christmas tree. He’ll deny it until the day he dies but he’s so fucking weak for pet names, and hearing the endearment in Dave’s warm voice is almost more than Karkat can handle. He wants to hide his face in his hands until it cools down.

Then Dave is demanding a selfie and Karkat scowls, sighing, but turns away from the otters. He sees his own ugly face next to Dave’s smirking one in the camera and briefly wonders what Dave is even doing here with him. He takes the photo as an excuse to get closer to Dave, though, wrapping his arm around Dave’s waist and leaning his head against Dave’s shoulder.

“Hurry up,” he says, forcing a practiced smile onto his face. “They’re being cute little fucks without us.”

At this point a few parents start ushering their kids away. Whatever, they probably hear worse daily anyway.

Dave’s stomach squirms as Karkat snuggles in close to take the picture, his warm arm around Dave’s waist and his head on Dave’s shoulder. _God._ Karkat actually smiles at the camera, and Dave’s gay little heart leaps in his chest. 

He snaps a couple selfies, making sure to get the otters in the shot too. Quickly, before he can overthink it, he plants a kiss on Karkat’s cheek and takes a picture of that, too. 

He pulls up the last picture to look at more closely. Dave thinks he looks dorky, his eyes squinted closed and his mouth puckered up, but the expression on Karkat’s face is fucking adorable. 

“Dude, this picture is cute as fuck. Look at that otter back there watching us like a furry little pervert, shit, I need to make this my profile picture everywhere now.” He’s practically bouncing up and down as he talks, grabbing Karkat’s hand and clasping it pleadingly. “Please tell me I can do that, Karkat, I need everyone to know that an otter voyeured on us at the aquarium. I’ve never wanted anything more in my entire goddamn _life_.”

Dave takes a bunch of selfies, the prick, and then he presses a kiss to Karkat’s cheek, taking him totally off guard, and snaps a picture of that, too. He takes a single glance at the image and starts begging Karkat to let him make it his profile picture.

“Let me see it,” Karkat demands, grabbing the phone before Dave can try something stupid like using his ridiculously long arms to hold it over Karkat’s head. He looks at the picture critically. He looks like a fucking idiot, eyes wide and face flushed, clearly surprised, but Dave is cute as shit and the otter in the background is, indeed, looking at them.

Karkat hates photos of himself. It takes him an embarrassing number of tries to get even acceptable results and he hasn’t changed his own profile picture in years. But Dave’s so fucking excited it makes him want to melt into a puddle, and the thought of Dave _wanting_ to make it his profile picture, like this isn’t a one-off and he might actually want to date _for real_ is enough to make his heart stutter.

He shoves Dave’s phone back at him with an embarrassed, “yeah, fine, do what you want.”

He turns back to the otters so Dave can’t see his burning face. He does grab Dave’s hand again, though, because he’s weak.

“Yesssss!” Dave fist pumps and quickly changes his profile pic everywhere he can think of, before Karkat can change his mind. 

Comment notifications start popping up already, but he stuffs his phone back in his pocket, not wanting to deal with other people right now. He knows enough about date etiquette to be aware that dicking around on your phone is a big ol’ no-no. 

Currently said date is holding his hand, looking grumpy and embarrassed. Dave hopes he didn’t cross a line with the photo or something. But Karkat said it was okay, right?

Dave nudges Karkat with his shoulder. 

“Are you done with the otters for now? We can always come back to them later if you start getting separation anxiety. Or we could just snag one and take it home with us, I’m sure Sollux wouldn’t mind. We could get a big fuckin’ water tank, plop it right in the hallway between our rooms, a sick-ass shared custody kinda setup. Damn, that otter’s gonna be the luckiest little sonofabitch who ever smashed a shell open on his belly. Fuck, is it weird to talk about adopting an otter together on our first date? I should shut up. Please make me shut up,” he finishes helplessly.

Karkat finally turns to look at Dave and can’t help the laugh that sneaks out of him. Dave looks desperate in the way he sometimes get when he rambles too much and it’s so fucking endearing. It soothes the sting of having to see his own ugly face on camera, and Karkat tugs him closer by his hand and leans up, pressing a kiss to Dave’s cheek this time.

“We better fucking come back,” Karkat tells him seriously. “I’m not leaving here without my son.”

He cracks a smile at Dave’s expression and starts leading him away, picking a direction at random. “Where to now? I chose the otters. What do you wanna see?”

It’s probably not the best idea to just drag Dave to all the exhibits Karkat’s interested in. He doesn’t want Dave to get bored or regret asking him out, even if Karkat wouldn’t mind watching the otters be adorable for literal hours.

Dave’s cheek tingles where Karkat kissed him and he squeezes Karkat’s hand happily. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll break your baby boy out of here and make a run for it. Aquarium security will never see it comin’.” His mouth twitches, ruining his serious expression, and he covers his face with a laugh. 

“Okay but for reals, I kinda want to check out the dolphins. I know that’s basic af, like of course you go to the aquarium and head straight for the big ticket marine mammals. But whatever, I’m not gonna try to be cool and pick something obscure like the fuckin’--” he pulls out the map again and scans it over. “--bone eating worm, or some shit. Actually, that sounds dope as fuck, maybe we _should_ go see the bone eating worm. After the dolphins though.”

“A bone eating worm sounds right up your alley,” Karkat snarks, standing closer to Dave to look at the map. “But yeah I wanna see the dolphins too, let’s go.”

He and Dave hold hands as they walk and it makes Karkat’s cheeks feel hot. It’s dumb, it’s so fucking dumb that he’s flustered over hand holding and cheek kisses, but he’s also committing the feeling to memory because it’s syrupy sweet and romantic.

They walk past a few exhibits and into a room enclosed in glass. Dolphins swim overhead and Karkat cranes his neck to look up, eyes wide as he takes them in. Dolphins are kind of dicks, he knows, but they look pretty fucking elegant swimming around. Light filters through the water, casting moving shadows and rainbows onto the floor and the people gawping up at the fish like idiots.

Karkat points at one of the rainbows and says, probably too loudly, “Look, these dolphins are gay.”

Why the fuck is he like this?

For a few moments Dave is mesmerized by the sight of the dolphins. He’s never actually seen them in person before, and they’re… cool. Graceful and alien-looking and shit. Fuck, animals are just so dope… he wonders what a dolphin skeleton looks like. Do they have a beaky little nose like that? He makes a mental note to look it up sometime.

Then Karkat points and calls them gay and Dave snorts out an embarrassingly loud giggle. He covers his mouth and leans into Karkat’s shoulder, shaking with silent laughter.

When he’s recovered enough to talk, he wipes his eyes under his shades and turns to Karkat. “You’re goddamn right they’re gay. These must be the gayest dolphins that ever lived.”

He has an absurd urge to push Karkat up against the glass wall and kiss him deep and slow right in front of all these dolphins and people. He wants to show off, to let everyone to know that this guy, this hilarious, adorable, sexy dude is _Dave’s_ boyfriend. 

Or, Dave’s date at least, he reminds himself. He still has to ask Karkat if he wants to officially be boyfriends. 

Actually. He was going to wait until the end of the date, but maybe... he could ask him now? It’s a good moment, right? 

Hah, yeah, okay, no big deal, he can do this. His stomach clenches nervously and he takes a deep breath.

“Hey, Karkat--”

A piercing alarm goes off and Dave flinches badly, stepping closer to Karkat on instinct. Fuck, it’s _loud_ , he feels like his teeth are vibrating in his skull.

A couple of kids nearby have begun wailing, and a staff member is walking around briskly, shouting over the cacophony that all patrons should exit the building in a calm, orderly fashion.

Dave’s brain is buzzing even louder than the alarms as he pulls Karkat down the hall, following the flow of people through an emergency door. 

They end up outside in the parking lot, in a crowd of other disgruntled, confused aquarium patrons. After a few minutes of waiting around, an employee announces that there’s been a small fire in the turtle exhibit, and no people or animals appear to be hurt, but the fire department is going to have to check out the whole facility now. Unfortunately this means they’ll have to shut down the exhibits for the rest of the day. 

The crowd groans, and the employee assures everyone that their tickets will be honored for a free-of-charge admission the next time they visit. A few people are still grumbling, but the crowd disperses fairly quickly after they find out they’re not losing any money. Dave and Karkat are left standing in the parking lot with a couple other stragglers.

“Well, shit,” Dave says lamely. 

His head is still ringing and he feels off-balance, both from the question he’d been about to ask Karkat and from the shock of the loud alarm. His stupid brain is still insisting he’s in danger, that he needs to protect himself and Karkat from-- from _something_. Or someone. He feels sweaty and clammy, and his heart is pounding, his empty hand is clenching into a fist over and over.

He looks at Karkat helplessly, feeling completely at a loss for what to say or do. This isn’t a big deal, right? It should just be annoying and kind of funny, not… scary. Why does he feel like he’s about to fucking fall apart?

For reasons unknown to Karkat, Dave seems to find his word vomit funny and _giggles_ all adorably, holy fuck. He hides his face in Karkat’s shoulder, laughing silently, and Karkat wants to kiss his so fucking bad. God, this is the best date Karkat’s ever been on and it’s only just started and already he wants to call an end to it so he can drag Dave back to their dorm where it can just be the two of them.

Karkat’s starting to think that maybe this can work out, this whatever-it-is they have going on. Maybe they can date and Dave can be his boyfriend and Karkat won’t fuck it up somehow.

Dave starts to ask a question and an alarm blares in their ears. Karkat’s lips pull back in a grimace as Dave tugs him through the halls and out to the parking lot. He’s _not_ pouting as they’re told the aquarium is shut down for the day. But when he turns to Dave the pout falls off his face.

Dave is pale--paler than usual--and his brows are pulled down behind his shades. He looks off kilter and… scared.

Karkat isn’t stupid. He’s able to put two and two together. Dave has a shit ton of old scars littered across his body, the kind that you don’t accrue just by being a rambunctious kid. Karkat hasn’t asked and Dave hasn’t told, but he’d have to be an idiot not to realize Dave was abused somehow. Karkat only has a faint grasp on PTSD symptoms but, looking at Dave’s face now, he realizes he’s going to have to do some research.

“Dave, hey,” he says, trying to make his voice soft and calm. It doesn’t work; his ‘indoor voice’ is able to be heard miles away. “What’s wrong?”

Dave’s still holding his hand so Karkat turns to him fully and takes a slow step forward. He lifts his hand and tentatively reaches out to hold Dave’s face, broadcasting his movements so Dave can move away if he wants.

“Is this about the otter?” he asks, giving a tight smile and trying to lighten the mood. “Don’t worry, we can break in and rescue him tonight.” He drops the joke and tries, “what’s up? Talk to me.”

Karkat reaches toward Dave and he flinches and backs away on instinct. He knows Karkat won’t hurt him, Karkat’s _good_ , but he just-- he can’t be touched right now. He doesn’t know why, only that the very idea is making his skin crawl with anxiety. 

He closes his eyes, breathing shallowly as Karkat tries to make a joke, then drops it and straight up asks what’s wrong. Hah. Dave wishes he knew what was wrong. He feels sick and ashamed that Karkat’s seeing him like this, and he doesn’t know why it’s happening or how to stop it. 

It almost feels like-- like how he used to get sometimes after a strife with Bro. Locked in the bathroom, stitching his cuts closed, trying not to throw up. But he hasn’t had to strife in months, so why is he freaking out like this??

His breathing is shallow and fast and loud in his ears, and he backs up farther until he’s pushed up against the outside wall of the aquarium. Fuck. _Fuck!_ This can’t be happening right now, not where people can see him. He’s barely aware of Karkat’s presence as he tries to get control of his breathing, but it’s not working, he’s dizzy, his vision is going dark around the edges. He’s fucking up so hard right now, god, this sucks so much, why can’t he just _get his shit together_?!

Dave flinches away and Karkat’s heart breaks for him. He gives him space as Dave backs away, breathing erratically, and tries to decide what to do. This is a panic attack; Karkat’s had plenty of them himself but he doesn’t have any experience talking someone down from one.

The last few people who stuck around are looking over, concerned, and Karkat gives them the finger and his best intimidating scowl until they fuck off. He turns his attention back to Dave, desperately thinking of what would have helped him during his panic attacks.

“Dave, hey,” he says, keeping his voice calm. “It’s okay, you’re safe. It’s just me and you, no one else is here, no one’s gonna hurt you. Focus on breathing. In, out.”

He doesn’t know if this is helping but he can’t think of anything else to do. He repeats himself, telling Dave that he’s safe and everything’s okay, reminding him to breathe. He can’t tell if Dave is even hearing him, but he keeps talking, staying out of Dave’s personal space.

“It’s alright,” Karkat says. “That alarm was pretty fucking loud, huh? Scared the shit out of me. I always hated fire drills at school; the alarms gave me the worst headaches.”

His arms itch to pull Dave into a hug, run his fingers through his hair, curl up around him until Dave is calmer. But touching Dave right now is probably the worst thing he can do, so he shoves his hands into his pockets and tries to make his body language open. He continues his litany of reassurance and reminders to breathe.

Over the sound of his own harsh panting and the ringing in his head, he can just barely hear Karkat talking to him. He can’t tell what he’s saying at first, but being able to focus on the sound of his voice seems to be helping a tiny bit. 

Slowly, ever so slowly, his breathing quiets down and he can begin to make out Karkat’s comforting words. Karkat’s saying such nice things to him, not mocking Dave or acting embarrassed of him. Dave’s lip trembles and his throat hurts. Fuck, he is _not_ going to cry right now. He breathes slowly and deeply, staring at the ground, until the pressure behind his eyes has subsided. 

After a little while the horrible panicky feeling seems to leave his body, and he’s suddenly exhausted, his legs shaky and weak underneath him. His face burns and he keeps his gaze down as he tries to summon up a little bit of normalcy.

“Hah, fuck, sorry about that,” he manages. “Don’t know what the fuck that even was, wow, so fucking uncool.” His hands are shaking and he clenches them into fists at his sides.

Dave won’t look at him, but he’s breathing evenly and talking again which are good signs. He’s still pale except for the bright red across his cheeks and looks like he’s about to collapse.

“It was a panic attack,” Karkat says, frowning. He doesn’t want to jump to conclusions but the thought of Dave suffering like this and not even knowing why or what it is has him having to take his own deep, calming breaths. “I used to get them a lot. They fucking suck.”

He eyes Dave, wondering if they should call the date done. Dave might want to be alone after that, give himself some time to recover.

“Do you wanna head back to the dorm?” he asks reluctantly. It’s selfish as fuck but he doesn’t want to have their date end here. “We could watch a movie or something, or I could just fuck off and give you space if that’s what you need.”

Karkat certainly never felt up to doing shit after his panic attacks. But cuddling up next to Dave and watching a movie sounds nice, if that’s what Dave wants. He hopes Dave doesn’t want him to fuck off.

A panic attack? Fuck, Dave’s heard of those but he thought it was like, just what people say when they’re worried about a test or something. Not an actual, _physical_ thing that makes it so you can’t breathe properly. 

Karkat asks if he wants to go back to the dorm, and Dave shakes his head in dismay, looking up at him.

“No way, dude, we can’t cut our date short just cause of my little freakout. That’d be hells of lame. Unless--” A thought occurs to him and his stomach sinks. “I mean, if you didn’t want to be out in public with me anymore, I get that, we can definitely go home if you want to,” he finishes quickly. 

Ugh, this is seriously the worst impression he’s ever made on a date. Karkat already knows him, has had plenty of time to learn how much of a fuckup Dave Strider is on a regular basis, so it’s not like he had much of a reputation to uphold in the first place. But he was hoping not to make himself look _worse_ , at the very least.

Karkat’s so relieved that Dave doesn’t want their date to end that he almost doesn’t process the second part of what he says. When he does his brows furrow in confusion.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he asks. “Why wouldn’t I want to be out in public with you?”

It clicks in his head the moment he asks the question and he wants to rage at whoever made Dave feel like he’s a burden.

“I’m not fucking _ashamed_ of you, Dave, holy shit,” he says. “I’d be a grade A asshole and a hypocrite if I didn’t want to be around you because you had a reaction to something that you couldn’t control. I mean I’m both those things but not for this reason.”

He feels the same way he did when he realized that Dave was nervous, that night on the roof. Caught off guard and confused, the world tilting slightly off its axis so that he has to rearrange his perception once again. Dave is gorgeous and hilarious and talented and obnoxious and _perfect_. It’s hard to wrap his head around the idea that his self esteem might be as shitty as Karkat’s.

Dave tries to process what Karkat’s saying. A hypocrite-- oh yeah, Karkat said he used to get these “panic attacks” too. He feels a little of the tension leak out of him, knowing that at least Karkat’s not mad at him or ashamed of him or anything. 

“Okay.” He rubs the back of his neck. “Uh, thanks. For, like, saying all that nice shit to calm me down. It really helped, I think.”

His mouth twitches in a small, shaky smile, and he reaches out and squeezes Karkat’s hand. 

“Seriously though, I don’t want to go home yet. I’ve been looking forward to an actual date with you for way too fucking long now. Can we just… is it okay if we go sit in the car for a second so I can catch my breath? And then we can either wander around and find something else date-y to do, or just go grab dinner a little early.” 

Karkat wasn’t exactly paying close attention to what he was saying but he doesn’t recall saying anything particularly _nice_. He doesn’t call Dave on it, though, and makes a mental note to see how he reacts to actual nice comments when he’s in a better mental place. He’s got a sinking feeling about it.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Karkat says, taking the opportunity to turn Dave’s hand squeeze into lacing their fingers together. He tugs him gently towards the car, watching from the corner of his eye in case Dave stumbles and he needs to catch him. But Dave seems to be recovering just fine; Karkat’s just an anxious fuck.

They get to the car and Karkat considers asking Dave to get in the backseat with him for some prime cuddle time but he’s not sure where Dave is at in regards to physical contact. Hand holding is a small thing.

“I’ve been looking forward to this too,” Karkat says, giving Dave a smile. It’s a vast understatement, considering the amount of angsting he’s done over the past week, but it gets his point across well enough.

God, Karkat’s smile is so fucking pretty. Dave likes him so much it makes his heart hurt. 

He really hopes he isn’t letting Karkat down too badly with this disaster of a date so far, but maybe he can make it up to him later in the evening. Stargazing is romantic as fuck, right? That’s what the internet said. Hopefully Karkat thinks so too.

They’re just standing outside the car. He should get in and sit down, but he doesn’t want to let go of Karkat’s hand. Hmm...

He unlocks the back door and scoots inside, tugging Karkat after him.

“This way we can still hold hands,” he explains. “And maybe some other stuff, if you wanted.” 

He’s still feeling shaky, not completely recovered, but right now a cuddle sounds fucking fantastic. If Karkat’s okay with it, that is.

He and Dave are either on the same wavelength or Dave is a mind reader because he opens the backdoor and pulls Karkat inside. There’s some awkward scooting and adjusting, but soon they’re sitting side by side, still holding hands, and Karkat figures this is as much of an invitation as he’s gonna get. He lets go of Dave’s hand, only to wrap his arm around Dave’s skinny shoulders and tug him close.

“Other stuff, huh?” he teases, reaching up to run his hand through Dave’s hair, running his nails lightly across his scalp.

He doesn’t want to make Dave feel worse, but there’s curiosity bubbling inside of him so he asks, “How long have you had panic attacks?”

Dave relaxes into Karkat’s hold, leaning against him. Karkat’s body feels so solid and safe, and his hand in Dave’s hair is fucking _heavenly_. Dave shivers happily. 

Then Karkat asks him about panic attacks and he tenses right back up. 

“Uh. I don’t really remember, to be honest,” he admits. “Used to happen back home sometimes… ever since I was pretty young, I think.” 

He falters off, his usual endless supply of word vomit having apparently abandoned him. Maybe he just doesn’t have a whole lot to say about this particular topic, that’s all. 

Dave goes stiff and tense against him and goddammit, Karkat fucked up. He should have just kept his stupid mouth shut. How does he always manage to fuck things up?

“I got them a lot during high school,” Karkat says, hoping that if he opens up about his own shit Dave will feel less awkward. “Still get them sometimes, actually, but they’ve gotten better. They actually got pretty fucking bad when I first left home but. Yeah.”

He takes a few slow breaths, hoping he isn’t making Dave change his mind about cutting the date short.

“Must have been pretty fucking terrifying getting them as a kid and not knowing what was going on,” Karkat says. “My brother’s the biggest douche in the world but he’s always been into mental health shit, he figured out what was going on real fucking quick. Dunno how I would have gotten through it otherwise. You’re really brave, Dave.”

He chews on his lip for a few moments and says, “Sorry, we don’t gotta talk about this.”

Dave listens as Karkat talks about his own panic attacks, and hearing about that makes him feel just a microscopically tiny bit better. A little less like he's a fucked up freak. He still really, really doesn't want to be talking about this right now, because he’s gonna fucking cry if Karkat keeps saying shit like that to him, calling him brave and stuff. 

He’s not brave. He’s a fucking cowardly piece of shit, good for nothing, weak little--

Squeezing his eyes shut, he shoves away that train of thought. 

He means to change the subject but instead he blurts out, “Huh, your bro sounds pretty much the opposite of mine. Don’t get me wrong, I mean my Bro’s cool as shit, but he’s definitely not the right guy to have a feelings jam with or anything.”

Dave _had_ tried, once, to ask Bro about the shakiness he got after a strife, the trouble breathing, the racing of his heart and sick stomach. Hoping Bro could teach him how to fix that, the same way he taught him to fix his wounds. Bro'd just laughed at him and said it was nerves, that he needed to toughen up. 

Karkat huffs a laugh. “Trying to talk feelings with Kankri is impossible. He talks _at_ you, and you listen or tune him out; doesn’t matter which one because he will go on for hours. I call him sometimes to check in and once I left him on mute for like ten minutes while I made a sandwich and he didn’t even notice.”

He loves his brother but jesus fucking christ that guy could out-talk Karkat, and that’s impressive.

Karkat keeps playing with Dave’s hair. It’s so fucking soft, and Dave smells really good; Karkat wants to bury his nose in Dave’s hair and just breathe, but that would be really fucking weird so he settles for running the strands through his fingers.

“Brothers are bullshit,” he concludes.

“Anyway, if you ever wanna talk about this shit I’ve been told I’m a good listener,” Karkat says, then immediately corrects, “that’s a lie, no one’s ever said that but it’s fucking true. I’m an amazing listener. I’m the _best_ listener and anyone who says otherwise is misin-fucking-formed.”

Dave huffs a small laugh. Man, Karkat’s a funny guy. And so damn endearing, and sweet, and hot as absolute shit, too. And his arm’s around Dave, his fingers are in Dave’s hair, he’s offering to listen to Dave talk about all his fucked up bullshit. 

“Hey, I believe you're a great listener. If only because time and time again you've proven your talent for remembering every embarrassing thing I’ve ever said to you.” Dave leans deeper into Karkat, a smile on his lips. 

“I might take you up on that offer sometime. Not today, though. I’d rather not end up bein’ a snotty crying mess before we even get to dinner,” he jokes. 

He sits up and looks at Karkat seriously. “For real, though. Thank you. For today, I mean… You’re a really good guy, Karkat.”

He hesitates, then leans in to peck Karkat quickly on the lips, pulling back with a blush. 

Dave tells him he’s a good guy (and he doesn’t know how Dave got _that_ impression, Karkat’s well aware that he’s a piece of shit) then presses the lightest, sweetest kiss to his lips and Karkat’s heart pounds in his ears. Dave has a light blush painted across his handsome features and Karkat’s only human.

He leans in, catching Dave’s lips with his own, and appreciates how incredibly soft they are. He really can’t help himself so he flicks his tongue out, running it across Dave’s lower lip, just to taste him, before he pulls back. He probably looks like a moron, face red and smiling with his fucked up teeth on display.

“It’s an open offer,” he says, trying to gather the few brain cells he has left bouncing around in his head. “The listening thing. Any time you want.”

He clears his throat and tries to blink the hearts out of his eyes as he says, “This might come as a surprise, but I really enjoy spending time with you. Fucking shocker, I know.”

Karkat’s tongue on Dave’s lip feels fucking delicious. Heat sparks in his belly and warms him all over, and he kisses back eagerly. 

Then Karkat pulls away and keeps talking, saying more nice things to him, and Dave can’t fucking handle it. He’s gonna combust if Karkat makes one more sweet, wonderful comment right now. 

In lieu of a verbal response, he leans in and kisses Karkat again, longer this time. He puts his hand to the side of Karkat’s face and rubs gentle circles into his temple as he deepens the kiss. 

He’s been accused before (by his nosy half-sister, of all people) of using sex to deflect from emotional vulnerability, and-- yeah, it’s pretty fucking accurate, actually. Still, Rose’s insight into his psyche doesn't make him any less horny, or Karkat any less attractive. 

Dave kisses him again, his hands warm on the side of Karkat’s face, and jesus christ Karkat likes him _so much_. He slides a hand around Dave’s back, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. He wants to pull Dave on top of him, have him grind into Karkat’s leg until he’s whining and needy, or maybe even suck Dave off here in the backseat of his car, in the fucking aquarium parking lot.

God, he’s never wanted someone like this before. What is Dave doing to him?

It’s only Kankri’s annoying voice in the back of his head, chattering on about ptsd and panic attacks and destructive coping mechanisms, that makes Karkat pull back, panting. Apparently some of his brother’s bullshit lectures got through to him after all.

“Dave, wait,” he says, putting a hand on Dave’s shoulder. He doesn’t want to bring up the panic attack again, it would only make Dave shut down, so he scrambles for another reason. “Date. We’re on a date.”

He swallows heavily. “We should get dinner.”

To Dave’s great disappointment, Karkat pulls away from the kiss before too long, even though it seems like he was enjoying it just as much as Dave was. 

Oh yeah, shit, their _date_. Here he was, all ready to climb into Karkat’s pants in the backseat of his car, completely forgetting that he's trying his damn best to woo the pants off this guy. Uh, romantically. Well, sexually, too, but-- fuck, that's not the point right now!

He shifts in his seat, hoping to hide his over-eager boner, and nods. 

“Right, dinner. I got us a reservation for that fancy fuckin’ Italian place on the pier but it's not for--” He checks the time on his phone-- “at least another hour and a half. Kinda figured on having more time at the aquarium first. But I could honestly eat right now, if you're hungry too… we could try and get in there without a reservation, or just go somewhere else. What do you think?” 

Karkat’s eyebrows raise in surprise. “You made reservations?”

All of Karkat’s previous dates have been at coffee shops and shit. Places that didn’t even take reservations. It’s probably pretty fucking pathetic for him to be swept off his feet because Dave put in a bit of effort, but here he is. It’s just… really fucking nice that Dave seems to give a shit.

As for what they could do with an hour and a half, Karkat has a slew of ideas; not a single one of them wholesome or first date appropriate. He’s incredibly tempted to tell the obnoxious little Kankri in his brain to get fucked but he also doesn’t want to ruin this. Doesn’t want to ruin their date, or his chance with Dave. So he pushes aside his confusing horniness.

“Let’s see if they’ll take us early,” Karkat decides. “I’m starving. If not we can grab some shitty fast food and walk along the pier.”

He takes the chance to lean in again and peck Dave on the lips once, twice, then plants a soft kiss on his nose and pulls away with a sheepish smile.


	7. Completely Pear Shaped

When they arrive at the restaurant, Dave’s sees several groups of people already waiting in the lobby, and his stomach sinks. 

He pulls the door open and gestures for Karkat to go first, then follows him inside. The room is stuffy and loud, and Dave tries to avoid eye contact with anyone as he walks up to the hostess’ stand.

“Good evening, do you have a reservation?”

Dave briefly contemplates sliding some cash into the hostess’ palm, to look slick like they do in the movies, but then he remembers he only has a couple single dollar bills and his debit card in his wallet. Fuck.

“Uh-- yeah, about that. I have a reservation for seven thirty, under the name Strider? We had an unexpected change of plans though, so I was wondering if y’all could squeeze us in a little early. Although, you’re lookin’ pretty full up already.” He laughs nervously, overly aware of Karkat standing by his side and listening.

She gives him a tight smile. “Sorry, sir, it’s a two hour wait without a reservation.”

“Shit. Sorry, I mean, uh. Okay, thank you ma’am.” Dave’s face is warm and he feels like everyone in the room is staring at him. He grabs Karkat’s sleeve and mumbles, “Let’s get out of here,” tugging him back outside.

In the parking lot, he breathes in a lungful of cool air and turns to Karkat with an unhappy twist to his mouth. “Sorry, man, I guess we’re gonna have to go somewhere else. Uh, there’s some food trucks a couple blocks over, or just plain ol’ Mickey D’s if you wanna be real classy.”

Jesus christ, could he be fucking this date up any harder? He feels horrible for taking up Karkat’s time on a Saturday when he surely already had plans, and then forcing him to endure the worst date of all time. 

Okay, so maybe the aquarium thing wasn’t exactly his fault, but he could have done without having a fucking panic attack in front of Karkat and then making him cuddle Dave like a stupid baby to calm him down. And now dinner’s fucked up too. Being able to plan a good date is probably like, rule number one of dating Karkat Vantas, right? 

Dave’s so disappointed in himself he could cry, but that would ruin the date even _more_ , so he doesn’t.

The moment they step into the restaurant Karkat feels out of place. He’s underdressed, for one thing. Dave at least is wearing a blazer, but all Karkat’s got on is a dark henley and some jeans. And Kanaya could slather him in makeup and style his hair for hours but no one will ever look at him and think ‘high class.’

The place is also loud, and the lobby is crowded. When Karkat imagines a fancy restaurant he thinks of a secluded table with a quiet atmosphere, lit by candlelight. Cliche as hell, of course, and apparently completely off base. As he’s standing there listening to Dave talk to the hostess he has a sudden realization that he likely won’t be able to pronounce anything on the menu. Fuck.

When they’re told essentially to get the fuck out, Karkat feels guilty as shit for being relieved. Dave tugs him out of the restaurant and Karkat breathes in the fresh outside air. He looks at Dave, who looks subdued and disappointed. Fuck, was he really looking forward to the restaurant?

“Let’s go check out the food trucks,” Karkat says, grabbing Dave’s hand and squeezing it gently. “I need to eat something made by someone who doesn’t give a fuck about me.”

As they walk Karkat tries to think of something to say to bring Dave’s mood back up, but his mind is blank. He’s probably a terrible person for enjoying this so much when, from Dave’s perspective, today has been pretty shitty. Hopefully getting some food and something to drink will help, but Karkat wonders if maybe this date is just not meant to be. Dave looks miserable, and being around Karkat probably isn’t helping.

“What are you in the mood for?” Karkat asks as they reach the food trucks. There’s a decent amount to choose from and he eyes the taco truck contemplatively.

Karkat’s quiet while they walk to the food trucks, and Dave’s mood drops lower with each minute of silence. He’s genuinely considering calling the whole date off and just going home. The only thing stopping him is the gentle pressure of Karkat’s hand in his. Selfishly, he doesn’t want the date to end just yet. In case he never gets another chance to do this, he wants it to last as long as possible.

The sun is setting over the pier, and the sky is tinged a beautiful pink, but Dave doesn’t notice the view. All he can see are his own fuck-ups, playing in his head on endless repeat. Not just the ones from tonight, though those are definitely in there, but also the times he said something wrong to Bro and got his ass kicked for it. The various other dates he’s been on that ended badly because he did or said something stupid. All the times he’s been punished or rejected because he just wasn’t good enough.

“I could eat whatever. You pick,” Dave offers. He’s never been a fussy eater, and the least he can do is to let Karkat choose which shitty fast food he wants.

“Tacos it is,” Karkat decides, tugging him to the truck. They order and Karkat pays before Dave gets a chance to, telling him, “You paid for the aquarium, I can cover some cheap food.”

They get their food and Karkat looks around, spotting a bench, and leads Dave over to it. Dave’s face is worryingly blank and his voice is back to a monotone; Karkat’s not sure if this is leftover from the panic attack or if he’s bummed about the restaurant, but he has a feeling this date is going terribly. Too bad it’s still the best one he’s ever been on.

The sun is setting and the sky is gorgeous here. He really needs to get out more, see the city and enjoy shit instead of hanging around campus all the time. He looks over at Dave, taking in his sharp profile in the dimming light, and his heart stutters. He clears his throat.

“I know this is probably like the worst date you’ve ever had,” Karkat says, already feeling his cheeks heating up, “but it was really fucking nice spending time with you. And I won’t hold it against you if you never wanna do this again but. Thanks, for taking me out and actually putting in some effort, I guess. I had fun.”

He doesn’t risk a glance at Dave, staring ahead at the sunset and letting the ambient sounds of the pier wash over him.

Dave’s spacing out hard and almost doesn't notice Karkat sneaking to pay for the food. He tries to protest, but it's already too late. God dammit, he’s supposed to be taking Karkat out and treating _him_ , instead of the other way around. Not that any of his plans have gone accordingly so far.

He takes his tacos and follows Karkat to a bench. Sitting down, he wordlessly begins to eat. The food’s probably fine but he can’t even taste it; his chest aches and it feels like he’s chewing on soggy cardboard. It's hard to swallow around the lump in his throat.

Then Karkat starts talking and Dave’s forehead crinkles in confusion as Karkat says he’s having _fun_. How the fuck?

He turns to Karkat, who’s looking straight ahead, his cheeks dark. He’s so fucking beautiful and good and perfect, and Dave’s right in the middle of fucking up his one chance to be with him. Honestly though, if this date had somehow, miraculously _not_ gone completely pear-shaped, it would have been only a matter of time before Dave fucked up in some way or another. Sooner or later Karkat was always going to find out the truth: that Dave’s incompetent and embarrassing and a total fucking loser.

“Uh, dude, you don't have to lie to me. I know this date was a disaster of epic proportions, and I'm really sorry for wasting your time. Like, it’s nice of you to try and protect my feelings and all, but it kinda makes me feel worse that you think you can't be real with me about it, you know? It’s cool, I can fucking take it.”

He’s not actually sure if he _can_ take a rejection right now, seeing how a fucking fire alarm sent him into a panic attack earlier. He’s not in the best state of mind at the moment, but something in him curls with disgust at the idea of being coddled and treated like he’s weak.

He tries to speak, to offer another apology or something, he doesn't even know, but his voice sticks in his throat and he lets out a sigh. He stuffs another taco in his mouth and chews unhappily.

Karkat’s head snaps to the side, a confused scowl etched into his face. Dave is eating robotically, and Karkat isn’t sure what’s going on in his head.

“Dave what the fuck? Why would I lie about this? When have I ever been known to fucking keep quiet about being unhappy?” Karkat demands. “Bitching is like the one thing I’m good at. If there was a bitching olympics I’d have the fucking gold medal.”

He bites his lip for a moment, contemplating, and continues, “Things didn’t exactly go as planned with the aquarium and shit but it was fun while it lasted. And I appreciate the thought but I don’t think I’m a fancy restaurant kind of guy. I’ll take food truck tacos and a nice sunset over some overpriced bullshit I can’t pronounce while stuck up dickbags silently judge me, thanks.”

He sighs, bumping his shoulder against Dave’s. “You’re a fucking idiot. Like I haven’t just walked the fuck out in the middle of a dumpster fire of a date before. At least you tried and didn’t spend the whole time talking down to me or trying to get in my pants.”

He shoves the last bit of his taco in his mouth and chews angrily, crossing his arms. When he finishes, he grumpily says, “This is the best date I’ve been on and fuck you for shit talking it. And I know this may be hard for you to comprehend but I actually like hanging out with you, you fucking dumbass.”

A small smile creeps onto Dave’s face as he listens to Karkat’s rant. Okay, okay… maybe he overreacted a little bit. In any case, Karkat’s definitely right about one thing: he isn’t the type of person who’d lie about something like this.

“Hah. Okay, okay, fine.” He gives Karkat a soft shoulder bump in return. “Thanks, man. I’m glad you’re having fun. I was too, honestly, up until I flipped the fuck out over nothing.”

He leans back and looks out at the sunset on the water, laying his arm on the back of the bench behind Karkat.

“That restaurant wasn’t exactly my style either,” he admits. “My ‘dates’ are usually more of a hookup-and-leave kind of deal, maybe order some DoorDash if we wanna get extra sappy. So yeah… this is definitely the best date I’ve ever been on, too.”

Panic attack and all, he really means it. He’s so in love with Karkat it’s embarrassing, they could have gone on a date at the fucking dentist’s office and it still would have been the best date ever.

“You know, if you’re willing to let me have a re-do sometime, I’d love to try and beat my own high score. In terms of date quality, I mean. Maybe next week?” His mouth is dry as he waits for an answer.

Dave smiles and Karkat relaxes at the sight. It’s the first actual expression there’s been on Dave’s face in awhile and some anxious part of him uncoils upon seeing it. Dave bumps his shoulder and looks out over the water, talking about his past dates. At least Karkat isn’t the only one.

Then Dave asks him out on another date and Karkat’s face splits into a beaming smile. His hand comes up too late to cover it but he can barely bring himself to care because even though this date has been a disaster by Dave’s own admission he still wants to try again.

“I’d really fucking like that,” he says. He gets his smile under control and lowers his hand, scooting closer to Dave.

Dave’s heart swells at Karkat’s obvious joy. He wraps an arm around Karkat’s shoulders and presses a light kiss to his temple. Good fucking god but Karkat is gorgeous. Dave seriously can’t get enough of seeing him smile.

He notices Karkat quickly covering his mouth, hiding that adorable grin. It’s not the first time he’s done that, Dave realizes, remembering earlier in the aquarium… actually, now that he thinks about it, Karkat covers up his smile all the time, especially when they’re around other people.

“Hey, how come you always try to cover your face when you smile?” Dave asks. “Are you just trying not to dazzle everyone in sight or something? Your cuteness is too goddamn powerful so you gotta keep it hidden away?”

Dave’s arm around him is solid and grounding and the kiss to Karkat’s temple is feather light. Karkat doesn’t know how he got so fucking lucky, and the joy he feels is near overwhelming. He wants to stay with Dave on this bench watching the sun set behind the water until the end of time.

Then Dave asks why he always hides his smile and it’s like being doused with cold water. Karkat is reminded that he’s _him_ , with an unfortunate face and a worse personality, while Dave belongs on the cover of magazines. There’s a split second where Karkat thinks Dave is mocking him, but it’s just the vestiges of a life of bullying being projected onto him, and Karkat is aware enough to recognize that.

It still fucking sucks, though.

He sighs and leans into Dave, taking the opportunity to appreciate how good he smells.

“More like the opposite. Don’t wanna blind anyone with my hideousness,” Karkat says, shrugging a bit. “I’ve got fucked up teeth. Not enough to cause problems but it was either braces or college and even when I was thirteen I wasn’t stupid enough to choose braces.”

Karkat leans against him and Dave’s heart flip flops in his chest. But then Karkat’s deflating and calling himself hideous. What the actual fuck?

Dave blinks several times and frowns, pulling his arm around Karkat automatically to hold him close. “Dude, what? I’m genuinely not understanding what you’re saying right now, like. The only coherent thoughts I’ve ever had while looking at your face are about how fucking pretty you are. And the rest of the time my brain’s just a pile of mush because I can’t handle the hotness, seriously, you’re like. Really fucking good looking. I mean all the time, but especially when you smile.”

Shit, he feels awful, he really didn’t mean to make Karkat sad. But god damn, that was _not_ the response he was expecting. Does Karkat really not know how attractive he is?

Dave’s saying all these nice things about him and even though they’re not true it makes a hot blush spread over Karkat’s face. Warmth blooms in his stomach and he wants to squirm away but instead he buries his face in Dave’s chest and tries to compose himself.

He’s not used to compliments and doesn’t know how to handle this. Especially not with Dave’s warm, sincere voice in his ears and his arm around his shoulder. Karkat’s hated his smile since his adult teeth grew in all over the place, and he hated pretty much everything else about himself even before that. And maybe Dave is lying, but… they’re really nice lies.

“ _You’re_ the hot one in this relationship,” Karkat finally says, leaning back. “It’s a heavy crown to bear but I think you can handle it. But thanks.”

His voice is awkwardly sincere and he clears his throat.

Karkat said they were in a relationship, does that mean Karkat’s his boyfriend now? Even though Dave didn’t ask him yet? Shit, they really need to talk about this.

This is probably the best timing he’s ever gonna get. The sunset is gorgeous and Karkat’s tucked into his chest. Dave hopes Karkat can’t feel his heart pounding like crazy as he tries to summon up the courage he felt earlier at the aquarium, when he was about to ask Karkat to be his boyfriend for real.

Fuck, how does he even word this? What if Karkat already thinks they’re boyfriends and gets offended that Dave is even asking? What if he says no? He seems to really like Dave, but Dave’s been wrong about thinking people liked him before. It sucks, a lot.

Fuck it, he has to do it now. Just rip the band-aid.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” He takes a deep breath. “Uh, so I know we didn’t really talk about this before, and like, feel free to say no, of course, if you don’t want to. It’s seriously, like it’s okay, I won’t be upset or anything. Well okay no, that’s a lie, obviously I’ll be super upset because I really fucking like you, hah. But I won’t be like, _mad_ of course, you know, I don’t want to pressure you into something you don’t want to do, you feel me?”

Jesus christ.

“Um. _Anyway,_ what I was trying to get at is, like. Do you want to… Are we like. Uh. Boyfriends? Do you-- would you want to be that, as in like, being in a romantic relationship together in a mutually… exclusive… type of way? With me?”

Why. Why is he like this. He closes his eyes in a moment of silence for any chill he might have once had, which has now been irretrievably lost.

Dave’s rambling is endearing as all hell even when it’s confusing and annoying. He gets like this when he’s nervous, and Karkat tries to wait patiently as he stumbles out his question.

When he does, Karkat pulls back and stares at him, surprised. Does he _want_ to? What the fuck kind of stupid question is that.

“Yes,” Karkat says immediately, like if he’s quick enough it’ll stop Dave from changing his mind and taking it back. He grins and makes a conscious effort to keep his hands where they are. “Yes, Dave, I’d love to be ‘in a romantic relationship in a mutually exclusive type of way’ with you.”

God, Dave is such a fucking dork and Karkat loves him so much. His chest is bursting with it. He leans in to press a kiss on Dave’s cheek, then reaches up and grabs his chin, turning his head so Karkat can kiss his lips. It’s way too fucking soon to drop the L word but Karkat thinks it really fucking loud.

Karkat says yes immediately and Dave practically beams with relief. Karkat’s smiling too and he’s not covering it up this time, he’s so fucking _cute_ , and holy shit, they’re _boyfriends_.

Karkat kisses him, and he kisses back. It’s tender and sweet and amazing, Karkat tastes like tacos and Dave’s hands are shaky and sweaty, and it’s the best fucking kiss Dave’s ever had in his whole life. His heart is so full and he wants this moment to last forever and ever.

God, he loves Karkat, he loves him so fucking much. The moment is so charged right now, it takes a lot of effort not to just blurt that out, but it’s probably definitely a bad idea to drop that confession merely seconds after they’ve officially gotten together.

They keep kissing on the bench until a bicycle zooms by a little too close to them and startles Dave. He flinches back with a nervous laugh and looks at Karkat, trying to memorize every detail of this moment. The sky is tinged with pink and orange behind Karkat’s head. His eyes are sparkling and his lips are shiny and wet. He’s looking at Dave like-- like he really wants to be with him.

Dave swallows and pulls Karkat into a hug, holding him tight and burying his face in his hair. He can still barely believe this is happening.

Never in his wildest dreams did Karkat think he’d one day be kissing Dave Strider (his boyfriend!) on a public bench, where anyone could see, like Dave wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed to be with him. Dave jerks back from the kiss suddenly with a laugh but then tugs Karkat close again, wrapping him in one of the best hugs Karkat’s ever gotten.

He hides his face in Dave’s neck, ghosting his lips over half-healed hickies. Will Dave let him darken them again? Karkat hadn’t exactly asked permission when they were drunk. But god do they look good on him, splotches of color on his pale skin, disappearing under his shirt.

They sit there hugging for what’s probably a ridiculous amount of time. Karkat presses another kiss to Dave’s neck and pulls back, standing up and offering a hand to his boyfriend(!!!).

“Wanna walk around for a bit? My ass is falling asleep,” he says sheepishly.

Karkat kisses at his neck and Dave tries very hard not to let his thoughts go in an inappropriate direction. Of course, he completely fails. Karkat’s just… _hooof_. Hello, nurse… Dave wants him so bad, wants Karkat to just fucking take him right here on this bench, bend him over the backrest and-- jesus, fucking _stop it_ , he thinks desperately.

After several long minutes, during which Dave’s half-chub becomes a three-quarter chub, Karkat gets up and suggests a walk. Dave takes his hand and pulls himself up, linking their fingers together while they walk. He’s hoping his boner isn’t too obvious, grateful that at least it’s dark out so he won’t horrify any innocent passersby.

They walk to one end of the pier and back, talking and laughing about nothing much at all. Dave’s too giddy with excitement to carry on any real conversation, he’s happy just holding hands with Karkat, reveling in the fact that Karkat said _yes_. By the time they get back to the car, the sky is completely dark, save for the glow of the city lights.

Dave pauses before unlocking the car. “I kinda had one more surprise plan for tonight, if you’re down for it, that is. If you’re tired and just wanna go home though, that’s totally cool, I know it was kind of an intense day. What do you think?”

Karkat feels lighter than air as he walks side by side with Dave, holding hands and giggling like idiots over things that probably aren’t even that funny. He can’t remember ever being this happy before. The feeling dims slightly as they approach Dave’s car. He’s not ready for this to be over just yet, so when Dave mentions a surprise Karkat jumps at the opportunity to spend more time together.

“You’ve got my attention,” Karkat says. “Take me to the surprise.”

He shoots a giddy smile at Dave and hops into the passenger seat. He probably shouldn’t hold Dave’s hand while he’s driving but it doesn’t stop Karkat from wanting to.

Karkat seems eager to continue their date going, which is… honestly really fucking nice. Karkat likes spending time with him. Karkat _likes_ him. Dave bites back a dorky smile and gets into the car.

He plugs the address into Google Maps, using the street number instead of the name to avoid spoiling the surprise. It’s about a twenty minute drive to get outside the city and another ten to the observatory building. The sky is pitch black out here, the moon just a sliver in the sky.

Dave pulls into the observatory parking lot and immediately notices something’s not quite right; all the lights are off and there are no other cars parked. With a sinking feeling, he hops out of the car.

“Uh, gimme a sec,” he says to Karkat.

He jogs up to the front door and tugs on it but it won’t open. His eyes slide over to the sign showing the observatory’s operating hours and god fucking dammit! They’re closed on Saturdays. Dave’s heart drops into his stomach. He can’t fucking believe this, he swore he checked the schedule. Or wait, was that the aquarium schedule? Or the restaurant… _Fuck._

He doesn’t know if he should laugh or cry. How can so many things go wrong in one date? He walks back to where Karkat’s waiting, and kicks at the ground sheepishly.

“So, uh, it looks like I fucked up again,” he admits. “I was hoping we could sit in on a stargazing show tonight, but I guess I forgot to check if they’d be open today and they, um. Aren’t.”

He sighs.

“I’m really sorry, Karkat, I swear to god I’m not normally this much of a disaster. Okay, no, that’s a complete lie, I’m always kind of the worst. Please still be my boyfriend?” he finishes anxiously.

Dave drives them out of town, which Karkat isn’t expecting. He’s curious as shit, though, and when they come up to an observatory his heart tries to beat out of his chest. Stargazing? Dave wants to go _stargazing_ with him? Karkat’s gonna fucking die. That’s so goddamn romantic, holy shit.

“Dave I’m completely aware of how much of a disaster you are and I like you anyway,” Karkat tells him, grabbing his hands and squeezing. “Remember when you and John were trying to see who could throw popcorn into each others’ mouths from the furthest distance and Jade had to give you the heimlich? Because I do.”

He has to stand on his tiptoes to press a kiss to Dave’s forehead.

“Of course I’m still your boyfriend, you fucking idiot,” he says. “You’re gonna have to do a lot worse than this to get rid of me. I’m gonna be the clingiest boyfriend in the history of the universe and there’s nothing you can do to stop this. Besides, I can see the stars just fine from right here.”

He steps back, looking up at the sky. This far from the city, with only the car’s headlights illuminating the world around them, the stars are bright and numerous. They’re almost as breathtaking as Dave.

Oh yeah, the popcorn debacle... Dave remembers that all too vividly. He’s pretty sure he still has bruises on his sternum from it, god damn, Jade is way too strong. She did probably save his life though, he shouldn’t bitch about it too much.

And Karkat’s being so fucking nice to him, so sweet and gentle and loving. Jesus, he’s too good, Dave doesn’t deserve him. Karkat wants to be with him, though, as crazy as that is, so Dave guesses he’ll just have to work at becoming the kind of person that’s good enough for Karkat.

He looks up at the sky and oh yeah, it’s true, he can see a fuck ton of stars out here. Huh, actually, that’s an idea…

He turns off the headlights and clambers up onto the roof of his car.

“Come up here, we can have our own private two-person astronomy lesson. I don’t know the names of any of the stars or constellations or whatever but I’m pretty good at making shit up and you’ll get to tell me how wrong I am, which I know you love doing.”

He grins and holds his hand out to Karkat.

Dave’s smile is a beacon in the dark. Karkat grabs his hand and pulls himself ungracefully onto the top of the car. The metal groans beneath his weight but Dave doesn’t seem to give a shit so Karkat puts it out of his mind. He sits beside Dave and ignores the view of the sky in favor of memorizing Dave’s features in the moonlight.

“Alright, Strider,” he says. “Wow me with your ignorance.”

Everything Karkat knows about astronomy he learned against his will. Feferi is super into it and astrology, and she’s so damn bubbly it’s hard to tell her to fuck off unless he’s at his limit. So instead of things he should know for classes the space in his brain is taken up with useless information about stars and rising signs.

He lays back, tucking a hand behind his head and stares up. Feferi is going to be so fucking jealous. His other hand is still entangled with Dave’s and he tugs him back so he’s next to Karkat, shoulder to shoulder, looking at the night sky. Karkat’s little romantic heart is so full it’s going to burst from his chest.


	8. Stargazing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of Vodka Sunrise! 😭 It's been such a journey, thank you to everyone who's read, commented & encouraged us, both here and on discord. Hope y'all enjoy this 15k finale of sappy emotional porn!! 🤧 💕

The metal roof of the car isn’t the most comfortable on Dave’s back, but his shoulder is warm where it’s pressed against Karkat’s, and their hands are linked together, and Karkat’s just so good he can’t fucking stand it.

He pushes his shades up onto his forehead, scanning the sky for anything that stands out, something he can make some shit up about. Maybe… that row of stars over there?

He points so Karkat can see where he’s looking and begins doing an impression of a British documentary narrator. “If you look to the northeast, you’ll see a row of four stars, comprising the constellation known as Peenus Majorus. It represents big dick energy and the eternal human desire for cummies. The big twinkly star at the very tip is actually a supernova called Sploogius. It appeared in August of 2014, and we only have three more years before it disappears from our view entirely. Nature is beautiful, yet fleeting.”

Dave puts on the shittiest British accent and lets the most ridiculous words fall out of his mouth. Karkat isn’t sure what he was expecting but it wasn’t _that_ , and it surprises a laugh out of him that just keeps going, until he’s snorting and covering his mouth like that will keep the embarrassing noise inside. He drops his hand back down when he’s calmed down enough that only a few giggles continue to escape him.

“What the fuck, Dave?” he manages breathlessly. His cheeks hurt and his sides ache with laughter. “Holy shit. If Feferi’s astrology facts were half as fucking ridiculous I wouldn’t mind when she kidnaps me. Oh my god do you know Feferi? I’m introducing you. I have to see her face when you tell her about fucking Sploogius, fuck.”

Another embarrassing giggle slips out but Karkat is too happy to care. He feels lighter than air, and Dave’s warm hand in his own is the only thing keeping him tethered to earth. He raises his free hand and points out the big dipper, probably the easiest constellation to recognize, and says, “What about that one?”

He’s buzzing with excitement, wondering what Dave will say next. It’s been a long time since he laughed that hard.

Karkat’s laugh is goddamn _adorable_. Dave can feel his shoulder shaking with laughter against his own, and his chest puffs up with warm pride. He made Karkat giggle-snort, he made him _happy_. If he can do that, maybe he’s not such a fuck-up after all.

“Oh yeah, I’ve met Feferi a couple times,” he says. “Never had the pleasure of talking to her about astrology, seein’ as usually when I run into her she’s climbing out of Sollux’s bed in the middle of the night. She seems chill as hell though, despite her questionable taste in men. I’d be hella down to actually hang out with her sometime.”

He squints at the sky, following Karkat’s pointed finger. There’s a curved row of bright stars that looks like…

“Dude, that’s another dick constellation. It was discovered by the ancient Romans, they called it Erectalis Maximus and it’s fucking majestic as hell. Can’t believe you don’t know that one, it’s even got the ballsack on there, makes it super easy to recognize. And you call yourself an astrology expert? Pshh.”

He elbows Karkat gently. God, he loves just being here together, touching and talking and laughing together. He never knew he could be this happy, and it’s all because of Karkat. His _boyfriend_. It still feels so surreal.

“My mistake,” Karkat says through another peal of laughter. God, he feels fucking _silly_ right now, all smiles and giddy anticipation. He has no idea how he lucked out, that Dave likes him back, enough to be his _boyfriend_. To take him on a date he actually gave a shit about, to make him laugh until he can’t breathe.

He keeps pointing at various constellations he recognizes, asking Dave what they are, and getting a dick-related answer in return. They’re never-ending and Karkat has tears in his eyes, his free hand covering his mouth, trying to hold back his ugly snorts and wheezes. Until finally he can’t take it anymore, rolling onto his side and burying his face in Dave’s arm, his shoulders shaking. Every time he thinks he’s calmed down enough to talk he bursts back into embarrassing giggles.

When was the last time he felt genuinely happy like this? Like life isn’t waiting to pull the carpet out from under him, to rip away all the good things.

He has an amazing, hilarious, attractive boyfriend. Him, Karkat! The thought is so fucking wild he can barely comprehend it. And on top of that, they’ve already had sex and it was _good_ ; Karkat managed to cum _twice_ , didn’t leave Dave wanting and unsatisfied. He’s so fucking lucky.

Finally, when he’s calmed down enough, he lifts his head and presses a kiss to Dave’s cheek. And because he has no fucking self control when it comes to this boy, he moves his lips to Dave’s ear, nipping at his earlobe and saying, “Thank you. For taking me out.”

Dave’s heart is so full that it’s threatening to spill over. Every time Karkat giggles at his dumb jokes, his whole body flushes with warmth and happiness. Finally Karkat rolls over and just collapses into laughter, hiding his face in Dave’s arm, and it’s so fucking cute he can’t stand it, jesus, he wants to put this boy in his pocket and never let him go.

Karkat kisses Dave’s cheek and he fucking _melts_ , and then Karkat’s nibbling at his ear and oh, god, okay, his dick is paying attention now. He mentally swats at it, praying for it to calm down.

“Y-yeah, no problem,” he says, his voice cracking loudly.

Fuck fuck fuck, they’re trying to have a soft moment right now and he’s getting horny, that’s like the exact _opposite_ of being the romantic boyfriend that Karkat deserves. But Karkat’s just so hot, okay, Dave can’t help it. Every second they’re together he just _wants_ him so fucking badly. Especially when Karkat’s biting at his goddamn earlobe like that, _shit_.

“Uh, s-sorry it didn’t go exactly as planned, but I hope you had an okay time still. I promise I’ll make up for it on our next date.” His heart is going so fast and his breathing is stuttering. He feels like such an idiot.

Dave seems nervous and Karkat’s eyebrows draw together in concern even as his heart skips a beat when Dave says _our next date_. Because they’re boyfriends, and they’re going to go out on plenty of dates after this, and every single one is going to be fucking fanatastic.

“I had a _great_ time,” he emphasizes. “I was serious before, when I said this is the best date I’ve ever been on.”

He rests his head against Dave’s for a moment, breathing him in, and makes a decision. He sits up and rolls over, throwing a leg over Dave and straddling him with a smile. The metal of the car roof groans beneath them, but he determinedly ignores it. He leans down and presses a featherlight kiss to Dave’s pretty lips.

“Let me take you out next time,” he says. “I’ll have to think pretty fucking hard to top a combined aquarium and stargazing date but I like a challenge.”

Oh god, Karkat’s on top of him. Fuck. He’s kissing Dave all light and soft and sweet, jesus, he’s just so fucking _nice_. He hasn’t even yelled at Dave or made fun of him for how badly he fucked up their date, he’s just been this supportive, sexy angel the entire goddamn time, and Dave’s so in love he can’t stand it.

Dave kisses him back, a little deeper but not too much; he’s trying to keep it in his pants, okay?

“Hey, I think as long as the place you take me doesn’t get set on fucking fire, or have a two hour wait, or end up being closed for the day, you’re still gonna come out on top,” he says.

Hah, Karkat on top. Like he is right now… straddling Dave with his gorgeous body, smelling fantastic, and being just a total goddamn heartthrob. Dave’s dick is getting harder by the second and he can’t even blame it.

“I guess it’s only fair for you to have a chance to wow me with your date planning skills, though, so alright. You get the next one,” he concedes with a smile.

He’s honestly pretty curious to see what Karkat comes up with, being a romantic expert and all. Or at least, more of a romantic expert than Dave. Which really isn’t saying much. Dave knows he’ll have an amazing time no matter what they do; as long he gets to spend time with his boyfriend he’ll be over the fucking moon about it.

Holy fuck Dave is gorgeous when he’s smiling at Karkat like this, small and soft and fond. He’s gorgeous any other time, too, but especially when he looks like this. Karkat can’t believe the expression is directed at _him_.

Dave agrees to let Karkat plan their next date and his mind immediately spins out of control with the possibilities. He has _so many_ date ideas, but they’re all things that he wants to do, and if he’s going to take Dave out it’s going to be on a tailor-made excursion for his boyfriend. Which likely means plenty of obnoxious ‘ironic’ shit that will drive Karkat insane, but that’s a sacrifice he’s willing to make.

But those are thoughts for another time, when he doesn’t have his perfect, handsome boyfriend pinned beneath him. He leans in to press their mouths together more firmly, sneaking his tongue out to swipe across Dave’s lip and smiling at the sound it elicits.

He’s feeling _good_ , fucking ecstatic, and he wants nothing in the world more than to make out with his boyfriend until their lips are sore.

Karkat doesn’t answer, just leans in to kiss him again, and Dave’s not fucking complaining. He feels the swipe of Karkat’s tongue and moans low and soft, kissing back with everything he’s got. Karkat tastes so fucking delicious, Dave wants to kiss him for the rest of his goddamn life.

His hands are on Karkat’s back, feeling his muscles flexing under his soft shirt, and he sighs happily into Karkat’s mouth. He glides his fingers along the smooth skin of Karkat’s neck and shoulders, then runs his hands up through those thick curls and pulls his boyfriend closer, dipping his tongue between Karkat’s lips to taste him again and again.

His dick is straining to bust out of his pants right now and he’s kind of stopped caring about it. Karkat seems to be into this, and Dave sure as fuck is down for anything at any time, anywhere. He’ll just let Karkat lead the way.

When Karkat thinks back to their hookup his mind pulls of flashes of drunken sex. He’d forgotten just how amazing it felt to kiss Dave, the way his soft lips slid against his own, unhurried and wanting. He’d gotten a taste of it back in the car, but now he can really enjoy it.

Dave’s hands run along his back, leaving a tingling trail wherever they touch. Karkat shudders when Dave buries his hand in Karkat’s hair, allowing himself to be pulled closer, to let Dave lick into him over and over.

He sighs into the kiss, lashes fluttering, and slips his tongue past Dave’s lips, flicking it at the roof of Dave’s mouth teasingly. Dave is making so many wonderful noises beneath him and Karkat lets his weight rest on him more, pressing him into the roof of the car.

He’s surprised to feel that Dave’s already hard. He thought he’d have more time to enjoy this. He wants to spend hours learning Dave’s mouth, what makes him sigh and moan and gasp. Take him apart with kisses.

But Dave is hard, and Karkat’s not a _total_ asshole, so instead of leaving his boyfriend waiting, he rolls his hips down. Karkat isn’t hard, not yet. He remembers last time, Dave being willing to keep going even after he came. Maybe this time will be similar? Maybe they can keep kissing afterwards? Dave isn’t like any of the other guys he’s hooked up with; he thinks Dave would keep kissing him if he asked.

“God,” Karkat breathes out, rocking his hips down again. “How are you so fucking amazing?”

Karkat’s weight presses down against Dave’s dick, and fuck, there’s _no way_ he hasn’t figured out exactly how hard Dave is now. So fucking embarrassing, especially since Karkat clearly isn’t as far gone yet.

Instead of calling him out, though, Karkat just grinds his hips down onto Dave’s like it’s what he wanted all along. Oh jesus god help him, it feels so good. _Karkat_ feels so good. And Karkat’s calling him _amazing_ , hah, amazing for what exactly? Being a horny bastard who gets turned on by a little light kissing?

He opens his mouth to say something, maybe voice some of his self deprecating thoughts--even though he _knows_ that’s not sexy and he’s trying to stop doing it, okay--but what comes out instead is a helpless moan as Karkat’s hips rock down again.

“Ahh-- fuck, _Karkat_ , please…” He’s not sure what he’s even asking for. Words just come out of his face without his permission, and yeah, that pretty much sums up his whole life right there.

Karkat’s lips are so close, flushed and wet, and Dave pulls him back in for another kiss.

Karkat’s name sounds so good falling from Dave’s lips and tongue. If he had the same musical talent Dave does he’d want to record it, mix all the sweet noises he makes into a song and listen to it on repeat until it’s stuck in his head.

Dave drags him into another kiss and Karkat goes eagerly, determined to memorize the feel of Dave’s mouth without the haze of alcohol over his senses. It’s so _much_ and not nearly enough, and Karkat thinks that maybe he was born and lived through all that bullshit just for this moment, for this sensation.

He adjuts, slipping a leg between Dave’s own so his boyfriend can rut up against him and take what he needs. He breaks away from the kiss to press his fingers to Dave’s jaw, tilting his head to the side, and gets to work darkening the healing marks on Dave’s neck. He takes his time, sucking sensitive flesh into his mouth, working it over with his teeth, laving his tongue over the mark when he’s done and then moves on to the next one.

When he’s finished one side he pushes himself up a bit, examining the blooming skin beneath him. He meets Dave’s eyes with a satisfied smile, loving the flush staining his cheeks. He dips back down and plops a kiss to the end of Dave’s nose this time.

“What do you want?” He asks, moving so Dave’s dick is grinding hard against his thigh.

Dave moans and gasps, grinding against Karkat’s leg. His neck is sore and tingling in the best way from Karkat’s efforts. His face is hot, his whole body is flushed and tense.

Warmth is pooling in his belly, already threatening to spill over, and fuck, he doesn’t want to nut off in his shorts _again_. He forces himself to slow down his desperate humping, feeling Karkat’s eyes on his face. His sweet, amazing, smoking hot boyfriend.

Karkat asks what he wants, as if Dave’s feelings are all that matters to him, and Dave realizes with a pang of guilt that he still doesn’t know if _Karkat_ wants this. He’s just been chasing his own pleasure like a selfish jackass.

His anxieties begin to flood back in, overwhelming the pleasant arousal in his gut. God, he can’t believe he was really just about to fucking cum his pants for a second time, and he doesn’t even have the excuse of being a drunk asshole this time. Just a regular asshole. He really can’t keep his cool and give Karkat the romance he deserves for even one goddamn second, can he?

“Doesn’t matter what I want, what do _you_ want? We seriously don’t have to-- I mean, this isn’t exactly a candlelit dinner, right? Not that I can even manage to do _that_ properly--exhibit A: tonight’s multitude of fuck-ups--but that doesn’t mean you have to let me hump you on top of my car, just cause I’m a desperate loser who practically jizzes himself if his boyfriend kisses him lightly on the cheek. Like, yeah, I know I’ve already ruined this moment beyond recognition, cause that’s what I fuckin’ do, but we can still just, uh. I don’t know. Do other shit. Not sexy shit. It’s whatever you want, man, okay, this is all for you, alright? Don’t let me and my over-eager dick run the show.”

Karkat lets Dave ramble, staring down at him as his confusion mounts higher and higher. He subtly adjusts his leg and yeah, Dave is still hard. It’s a physical reminder that Dave’s attracted to him, and it makes his stomach flutter. But he’s saying it doesn’t matter, asking what _Karkat_ wants and… a candlelit dinner? They’d already eaten and watched the sunset together, Karkat tucked under Dave’s arm like he was something precious.

When he asked what Dave wanted he expected something like “suck me off” or “fuck me” or “let me fuck _you_ ,” all of which Karkat was ready and willing to do. He has lube and condoms tucked away in his wallet because he’s a mature, responsible adult.

“I want to make you feel good,” he says earnestly. “Don’t you wanna cum?”

He doesn’t think he’s ever actively _wanted_ to have sex with someone before, not like this. It was always something expected, even that first disastrous time. It felt _good_ , don’t get him wrong, at least until the other person got off and the shame hit him when he had to take care of himself because he can’t just fucking be _normal_. But he didn’t want it like he wants Dave.

He sits back on his knees, frowning. “Did I do something wrong?”

Karkat pulls away looking concerned, and Dave immediately regrets saying anything. He wants Karkat all up in his space again, and more importantly, he wants him to stop looking so goddamn upset.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong at all! It’s me, I’m--” Dave stops and starts over. “I know I’m not the best at being romantic and shit but I like you so much, Karkat, I really don’t want to fuck this up. So we should just do whatever you want, okay?”

He rubs Karkat’s leg in an attempt to be soothing, looking at Karkat’s chin instead of his eyes. The worst part of this is that he’s still hard, jesus, his body can’t take a fucking hint.

Karkat’s frown grows more severe as Dave talks, until his eyebrows are scrunched together and his mouth is pinched.

“Dave,” he says seriously, ignoring the delighted stuttering in his chest when Dave says _I like you so much_. “You aren’t fucking anything up.”

He grabs Dave’s hand from his leg, entwines their fingers together, and lifts his hand up to press a reassuring kiss to his knuckles.

“Things went wrong today but I enjoyed myself because I got to spend time with _you_ ,” he says. “You have exceeded expectations here, Dave. We watched the sun set over the water while we were fucking cuddling, you took me out here and we are literally watching the stars together. It’s cliche as fuck. It’s stupid romantic. I loved every second of it.”

He picks his next words carefully. “We can go home right now, if you want. Or go back to stargazing. Or any number of non-sexual things, and I will be perfectly happy with it. With _you_. But I’d like to make this worth your while, if you’ll let me.”

He leans forward, keeping their hands together, and gives Dave a soft kiss.

“So, tell me what you want to do.”

Dave blinks slowly, letting the words sink in. Karkat… thinks their date was romantic? He knows Karkat already told him he enjoyed it--though it’s still difficult to believe that--but “romantic” isn’t the word Dave would use to describe this evening.

Although now that Dave thinks about it, he’s not actually sure what _would_ qualify as romantic. When he thinks of romance, there’s pink flowers, and frilly lace, and candles and… a big blank empty space of nothing, no ideas, zilch.

Okay, so maybe Dave’s not the best person to judge what is and isn’t romantic.

His hand is starting to sweat in Karkat’s, but he doesn’t let go.

“Dude, it’s already _been_ worth my while this whole time, you don’t gotta do anything to make that happen,” he insists. “I love spending time with you and I’m just glad you’ll _let_ me. I mean, if you want to, though, I can’t, uh-- God, why is this so much harder sober...”

He bites his lip. “Karkat, I want you so fucking bad all the goddamn time. I’m serious, you have no idea, like, I can hardly feel you holding my hand right now cause all my blood is just hanging out in my dick. I’m literally gonna fucking explode if you touch me. I want to do whatever you want, whenever you want, and if that involves gettin’ nasty on top of my motor vehicle, you better know that I’m incredibly fucking down.”

It’s such a new, addicting thing to feel _wanted_ , and Dave admits it so easily, like it’s the absolute truth. Karkat smiles down at him, gripping Dave’s hand tight to stop himself from raising it to cover his mouth. Dave _likes_ his smile. It’s a concept he’ll have to get used to, but he’s willing to make the effort.

“Good thing you have a quick refractory period,” Karkat says with a grin, releasing Dave’s hand so he can run his palms along Dave’s chest and sides until he reaches the waistband of his pants. He pops the button and tugs the zipper down eagerly.

“Lift up,” he says, tugging at Dave’s belt loops so he lifts his hips up and Karkat can wrestle his stupid skinny jeans down his thighs. They don’t have a lot of room to work with up here, so a blowjob is probably out of the question unless Karkat slides down the windshield for a better angle or hunches over unattractively.

But he wants to keep kissing Dave more than anything, so he shoves his fingers in his mouth and licks over his palm, then wraps his hand around Dave’s dick and gives a slow, languid pump, because they have all the time in the world right now.

Karkat’s grin is the hottest thing Dave’s ever fucking seen. No, wait, Karkat licking his goddamn fingers to get them nice and wet so he can jack Dave off-- _that’s_ the hottest thing he’s ever fucking seen.

Karkat’s fist is slick and wet and warm and Dave thrusts up into it with a groan. God, he’s not going to last long at _all_.

“Fuck, Karkat,” he breathes. “So hot, holy shit, _fuck_. Come here--”

He sits up on one elbow and grabs Karkat’s shirt, tugging him in closer, and presses a shaky kiss to Karkat’s mouth, and then another and another. It’s only a few short, blissful moments before he’s gasping and moaning into Karkat’s mouth and spilling into his hand, his hips stuttering as he finishes out his orgasm.

His dick quickly becomes oversensitive and he whines, clutching at Karkat’s arm to slow down his movements.

“Fuck, _fuck_ , oh my god, you’re amazing, you’re so perfect and good and hot. I wanna make you feel good too, tell me what you want.”

He reaches for Karkat’s waistband and looks up to check for permission.

Dave is so beautiful, gasping and whining as Karkat continues his ministrations even after he spills over. One day Karkat is going to keep going, working him over without any relief until he’s hard again and trembling, but for now he backs off, letting Dave catch his breath.

Which is a terrible fucking idea, because then Dave is lavishing praise upon him and Karkat’s dick twitches with interest while his face burns. That strange, squirming sensation is back in his stomach and Karkat has to bite his lip to keep himself from telling Dave that those things aren’t true; he’s a shitty person and he knows it, he’s ugly as fuck and can’t believe Dave likes him, Dave deserves so much better.

But he doesn’t want this to devolve into a Karkat-needs-a-pep-talk situation, so instead he mashes their mouths together, enjoying the feel of Dave’s hands all over him. When Dave’s hands hesitate at his waistband Karkat swallows, suddenly nervous. What if last time was a fluke after all? What if Dave spends so much time trying to get him off and it doesn’t work, and eventually Dave gets frustrated with him because _what? Am I not attractive enough for you?_

But he nods anyway, because he doesn’t think he could ever deny Dave anything.

Dave eagerly opens up Karkat’s jeans and pulls them down with his boxers, watching his dick spring up from under the waistband. He takes hold of it and moans again at the feeling of it in his hand, thick and hot. _Fuck,_ he’s been thinking about touching Karkat like this again ever since that drunken night they spent together.

He works Karkat’s dick as well as he can, but it’s kind of an awkward angle and his wrist quickly starts to ache.

“Hey, this angle isn’t super great, I can keep going if you want, but I just know I’m not doing my best work right now-- do you want to switch around so you’re under me? I can keep jackin’ you, or I could shimmy down the windshield a bit and blow you. What do you want, babe?”

He licks his lips, mouth watering at the thought of taking Karkat into his mouth again. Then he realizes with a jolt that he just called Karkat “babe.” Is he even allowed to do that?! His hand stops moving on Karkat’s dick and he scrambles for something to say, but comes up short.

Karkat’s eyes flutter shut at the feeling of Dave’s hand wrapping around his dick. It feels so fucking good, just knowing that it’s _Dave_ who’s touching him.

“Yeah,” he says, trying and failing to keep his voice steady after hearing Dave call him _babe_. Holy shit, that made his stomach flutter like butterflies being swept up in a tornado. He wants Dave to call him that again. “Yeah, we can switch.”

He rolls over and off of Dave, nerves running down his spine. What does he want? He just wants Dave, all over him. Dave’s lips and tongue and hands and the noises he makes just for Karkat. His freckled skin and the weight of him against Karkat, the soft way he says his name, the fond look in his pretty eyes.

He’d take anything Dave is willing to give him, but he’s asking Karkat what he _wants_.

“Fuck, Dave,” he says, feeling red stain his cheeks. “Could you… suck me off? Wanna feel your mouth on me again.”

Karkat doesn’t say anything about Dave’s slip-up, so maybe he’s okay with it? Question mark? Whatever, he’ll have to figure that shit out later when he’s not too busy drooling over Karkat’s dick to think straight.

Dave barely lets Karkat finish asking him for head, his cheeks flushed and adorable, before he’s scooting down the windshield in excitement. He positions himself so Karkat’s dick is right under his face and leans down to suck it into his mouth, bobbing up and down. He gives himself a moment to warm up, then takes Karkat all the way into his throat, burying his nose in the thick hair at the base of his dick.

God, he tastes amazing, smells incredible; Dave’s drooling so much it’s spilling out of his mouth and down onto Karkat’s shaft. He pulls back and sucks at Karkat’s head while using his hand to stroke the wet length of his dick. With his other hand, he reaches down to tease gently at Karkat’s balls, cupping them and brushing his fingers over the sensitive skin, then trailing his hands over Karkat’s inner thighs.

He looks up at Karkat’s face, enjoying the view, all his senses filled with his beautiful, amazing boyfriend. He could seriously do this for _hours_ , he doesn’t give a shit if his jaw gets tired, it just feels too goddamn amazing to be touching Karkat like this. He never wants to stop.

Holy fucking shit, it definitely wasn’t the haze of alcohol making him misremember; Dave is actually a fucking master at blow jobs. When Dave sinks onto him, Karkat’s eyes squeeze closed and he moans, loud, grateful for the privacy this place provides. He can be as loud as he wants without worry.

He forces his eyes back open so he can look down. He wants to see Dave, see his pretty mouth stretched wide around Karkat’s dick as he bobs up and down. The view does not disappoint. He’s not expecting to see Dave staring up at him already, vivid red eyes watching his reactions.

“Fuck, Dave,” he gasps, a hand finding its way to Dave’s head, burying his fingers into his hair.

He lets it rest there, doesn’t tug or push even though he desperately wants to, even though he knows Dave can take it. He only wants what Dave will give him, right now. “Y-you’re so f-fuhcking good at this.”

Jesus christ, he should stop talking. His broken, panting attempts at words aren’t sexy, they’re embarrassing. He lets his head fall back against the roof of the car and bites his lip.

Karkat’s moans and stutters are just as pretty as the rest of him. Dave wants to fucking record that shit and play it on loop for hours, shit, he thinks he could cum just from listening to Karkat’s voice without even touching himself at all.

He hums in encouragement as he feels Karkat’s hand on his head, fuck yes, he wants Karkat to fuck his face so badly. But Karkat just rests his hand there gently, so after a moment, Dave reaches up to set his hand on top of Karkat’s. He pushes his own head down, opening his throat for Karkat’s dick, then brings his head back up.

He tries to communicate with his eyes that he wants Karkat to use him, to take whatever he wants and then some. His dick is half-hard again at the thought, his mind tripping over itself to supply him with even more ideas--Karkat tying him up, binding his wrists together, holding him down and fucking into his throat. Yanking roughly at Dave’s hair, making his eyes tear up in pain as he drools on Karkat’s cock. Damn, he’s really learning all sorts of things about himself lately, isn’t he?

Dave rests his hand on Karkat’s urging him to take control and. Okay, okay, Karkat can do that, if that’s what Dave wants. He fists his hand in Dave’s hair, tugging at it gently, hesitantly. He’s done this before, it shouldn’t be making him so fucking nervous. Why is this so difficult sober?

But Dave moans encouragingly and tingles run up and down his spine.

“Hit my leg if you need me to stop,” he says, waiting until Dave nods to tighten his grip and urge him back down to the base of his cock. His mouth is so amazingly, wonderfully warm and Karkat’s eyes roll back as his feet try to find purchase so he can move Dave’s head and fuck up into his mouth at the same time.

And Dave takes it so well, so eagerly. He can feel drool coating him, making him messy as he pulls Dave almost all the way off, then pushes him back down, picking the pace up the longer Dave goes without slapping at his leg, until he’s all but ramming his dick down Dave’s throat, moaning loudly into the air.

He can feel his orgasm looming just out of reach, and it’s frustrating as fuck. He already _did_ this, it should be _easy_. He loves Dave, even if he hasn’t said it out loud, and he _wants_ this, so what’s the fucking problem?

“C’mere,” Karkat says, pulling Dave’s mouth off of his dick and urging him up so he can kiss him, hot and desperate. How is he supposed to tell his boyfriend “Hey, you’re so fucking attractive it hurts but I don’t know if I can cum?” Dave would dump him on the spot.

Karkat starts off slowly at first, but before long he’s thrusting fast and hard into Dave’s mouth and fuck, _fuck_ , it feels amazing. Dave thought he enjoyed this shit while he was plastered, but it’s got _nothin’_ on the sober version. He can feel every detail, every bump and ridge of Karkat’s cock pushing into his throat, Karkat’s hand gripping his hair, and he does his best to commit it to memory while continuing to suck Karkat off for all he’s worth.

After a few minutes, though, Karkat’s pulling him up and off his dick and kissing him. Not that Dave has any complaints about kissing Karkat, but he’s kind of confused-- Karkat didn’t finish yet, does he want something else? Or maybe he just wants a break?

He happily kisses Karkat back, not sure if he should try to touch Karkat’s dick or not. He settles for resting his hand on Karkat’s bare thigh. After a minute or so, when it seems like Karkat isn’t going to ask him to continue the dicktivities, he pulls back and tilts his head in a question.

“What’s up? Did you wanna do something else? We can do whatever you want,” he says.

“I--” Karkat flounders. What is he supposed to _say_? Normally by this point people have given up on him or he’s taken himself in hand, eager to get it over with and fall back into cuddling. The good stuff.

But he doesn’t want this to be over, doesn’t want to rush through it. He wants to enjoy his boyfriend’s hands and mouth on him and be worked up into his climax and ride it out, not have it captive behind some wall he can only seem to break through when he’s drunk.

He’s the biggest hypocrite alive, since his advice when people come to him with romantic trouble boils down to either “communicate” or “break up.”

He chews on his lip and tries to find something to say. But when he needs them most, words evade him.

Dave waits for Karkat to answer him, but he doesn’t. He just sits there biting his lip, looking pained, like he’s got something he needs to say to Dave but for some reason he _can’t_. Which is really unlike Karkat, and is honestly a little fucking concerning.

Did Dave fuck up somewhere? He didn’t notice anything unusual, Karkat didn’t seem uncomfortable, at least Dave didn’t think so...

His brow furrows as Karkat’s silence continues. Moving his hand off Karkat’s leg, he leans up on his elbow.

“Hey, what is it? Is something wrong? Did I do something? You can talk to me, dude.”

Fuck, now he’s made Dave _worried_. He’s completely fucking this up. He shouldn’t have started this to begin with. Why does he have to ruin everything?

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Karkat says. “You’re perfect.”

His dick is still out, still hard, pants around his knees, and it’s suddenly not hot anymore; it’s humiliating. He doesn’t make a move to pull them up, though, instead resting his forehead against Dave’s shoulder, breathing him in and gathering himself.

“Fuck, okay,” he says, pulling back. “I don’t know if you remember me saying that no one ever got me off before? Well, it’s not like they didn’t _try_. I just. I don’t know, I’m fucking weird. Every time I get close it’s like there’s something blocking me. I can do it just fine one my own, I don’t know why the fuck I’m like this. I was so fucking shocked when I managed to cum _twice_ last time. Maybe it was the alcohol or something, I don’t know.”

He’s such a fucking disappointment of a person. This shit is _basic_ , why can’t he just fucking do it?

“Sorry,” he says, feeling the familiar sense of shame wash over him.

Dave listens as Karkat explains, with a whole fuck ton of self deprecation, that sometimes he just can't get off. Well, Dave can't exactly relate to that, but he definitely sympathizes. It sounds frustrating as all fuck, for sure.

What he doesn't understand is why Karkat's _apologizing_ for it. It sucks for _Karkat_ , not for Dave, so why is he acting like he's done something wrong? Has someone been shitty to him about this in the past, made him feel like he was wrong for not being able to cum? God, that's so fucked up. Anger burns in Dave's chest, but he tamps it down for the moment. Getting pissed off right now--even on Karkat's behalf--is probably not going to be super helpful in making him feel better.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, man," he says, as gently as he can. "I mean it sounds like it kind of really sucks for you, but it's not like, an issue for me or anything, if you're worried about that. One of my friends told me that his antidepressants do something like that, make it so he can't get off no matter what--I guess that's a little different from your thing since you can cum on your own, but it sounds like it's sort of similar?"

Okay, he's rambling now, bring it back in, Strider.

"What I mean is, it's ok, you don't have to feel bad about it. We can stop if you want, or I can kiss you while you jerk off if you think that'd be nice? I don't care if you cum, though. Agh, that sounded bad, I don't mean I don't care, obviously I'd love for you to cum cause I want you to feel good, but it's not a requirement or anything. If that even needed to be said. I just.. I don't want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, yeah?"

Fuck, he needs to shut up, his rambling is always worse when he's nervous.

Dave is so _good_ , too good for Karkat. He doesn’t yell at him for wasting his goddamn time, doesn’t accuse Karkat of thinking he’s ugly, he doesn’t even laugh. He even suggests alternatives, says he just wants Karkat to feel good. It’s so unexpected that Karkat feels a little bit of tension drain out of him.

“That sounds nice,” he murmurs. “The kissing.”

He leans forward, meeting Dave’s lips with his own, and lets the taste of Dave’s tongue calm him down. Dave isn’t pissed at him; he hasn’t dumped him. Karkat can still salvage this.

He wraps a hand around his dick, still wet and sloppy from Dave’s mouth. Dave swallows up his moans as he falls into a brutal rhythm, the concept of “slow and steady” foreign when it pertains to himself. He twists his hand at the top, moving in quick, firm, strokes. He pants helplessly at Dave, feeling the telltale tightening in his stomach, and has a fucking brilliant idea.

He fumbles around, grabbing one of Dave’s hands and leading it to his dick, covering his own. It’s not what he wants, not really, but it’s enough for now. His hips buck and he’s so goddamn close.

He moves his mouth to Dave’s jaw, kissing up until he reaches his ear, and breathes out, “Talk to me. I love your voice.”

Karkat touches himself with practiced skill, moaning and panting as Dave kisses him, and it's searingly, blindingly fucking hot. Dave's definitely fully hard again; how could he not be, with Karkat making sounds like that right next to him?

Then Karkat takes Dave's hand and pulls it toward his dick. Dave gets the idea, wrapping his fingers over Karkat's hand, and watches hungrily as Karkat's hips buck into their fists.

Karkat asks him to talk, so he opens his mouth and just lets the words start pouring out of him. "You're so fucking hot, Karkat, I can't believe I get to be with you like this. Can't believe you're my _boyfriend_ , like-- look at you, dude, you're so hot and you have the prettiest smile I've ever seen in my fucking life. I'm fucking crazy about you, it feels like it shouldn't be possible to like someone this much. That shit's gotta be illegal or something, get me a lawyer cause I'm gonna need it when they find out just how much I like you. You're just such a fucking good guy, too, like I can't believe how nice you are, and how patient, and, uh, shit, this probably isn't super sexy. How about... I've been dreaming and fantasizing about touching you, being with you like this for goddamn _months_. I lie in bed at night and touch myself and think of you. I fuck myself on my hand and imagine it's you, fingering me open to take your dick. That night on the roof with you was the most amazing night of my life-- up until this one, I mean."

Dave lavishes him with praise and he gasps, burying his head in his boyfriend’s shoulder and tightening his grip, picking up speed. That odd squirming sensation is back, but this time it’s coupled with pleasure sparking just underneath his skin. It zips up his spine, making him whine and writhe, hips jolting with fervor.

It’s not true, none of it is true, but Dave’s honeyed voice is thick in his ears, filling him up and making him feel like maybe it _could_ be. And somehow that’s what he needs to push him over the edge, make his body finally give it up, and he spills over their hands, trembling and groaning Dave’s name brokenly.

Karkat comes back to himself a little too slowly and realizes his head is a deadweight on Dave’s shoulder and he’s drooling onto his nice blazer like a jackass. Sitting up and supporting himself is a struggle, limbs still heavy with bliss.

He doesn’t know what to say, because _thank you thank you thank you_ is too desperate even for him, so he kisses Dave instead, open mouthed and messy.

Dave isn’t expecting Karkat to blow so soon since he said it was difficult for him, but holy shit he’s not complaining. Dave’s heart pounds as Karkat calls out his name, voice muffled in Dave’s shoulder. God, Karkat’s so fucking beautiful, Dave loves him so much it’s like a physical ache, a basic need like hunger or thirst or exhaustion. He knows in his bones that he wants to take care of Karkat, to make sure he’s happy and comfortable and safe.

He lets Karkat lean against his shoulder as long as he wants, waiting for both of their heart rates to slow down. Karkat sits up and kisses Dave, and Dave kisses back fervently.

After a few moments, he pulls away from the kiss and brings his cum-covered hand up to lick it clean, watching Karkat’s face the whole time. He moans at the taste, his own dick twitching as he sucks sloppily at his fingers. When he’s finished with his hand he takes Karkat’s and gives it the same treatment. There’s a little bit of cum on Karkat’s softening cock, too, so Dave bends down to give it a gentle lick.

“Damn, that was good.” He smiles and gently bonks his foreheads against Karkat’s. “Was that okay, did you have fun too?”

Fuck, fuck fuck, fuckfuckfuck. Karkat can’t fucking _think_ , watching Dave lick Karkat’s cum off of his hand like it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted. And if that wasn’t enough, he then grabs Karkat’s hand and licks that clean too. His oversensitive dick tries valiantly to twitch at the sight, and again when Dave leans down to give it delicate kitten-licks, and his heart melts as Dave gently bumps their foreheads together.

God, maybe he should have set a slower pace. Really drawn it out and enjoyed it. Karkat’s never gone slow with himself, though. Jerking off has always been about how quickly he can get it done and over with and, with his own hands at his disposal instead of someone else trying to wring it out of him, he’s gotten pretty fucking good at it.

Dave makes him want to make it last.

“Yes I had fun, you fucking idiot,” Karkat says, a grin pulling over his face. How did he get so fucking lucky?

A glance down reveals Dave is ready to go again and Karkat can’t hold back a disbelieving laugh.

“Are you hard again _already_?” he asks, reaching down to run his fingers along Dave’s length. “Should I take care of this for you?”

Dave’s cheeks burn as Karkat laughs, because yeah, he knows he gets hard way too easily, cums too easily, it’s fucking ridiculous, he’s a joke-- but then Karkat’s reaching down and asking if Dave wants him to take care of it. His flush deepens and he looks away, wishing he had his shades on.

Ugh, he hates getting embarrassed about stupid shit like this, hates how easily he blushes. It’s easy enough to avoid showing emotion on the rest of his face, but his fucking blush always gives him away, gets him in trouble.

“Y- I mean, you don’t have to, but I would be fucking thrilled if you did, obviously. Don’t feel like you have to, though, cause seriously if you tried to take care of every boner I got around you, you’d spend twenty four hours a day jerking me off and nobody’s got time for that. I mean-- shit, please pretend I didn’t say that... ”

His gut squirms with humiliation and somehow that makes him even _harder_ , what the fuck?

Karkat’s grin falls away at Dave’s obvious embarrassment. His cheeks are red enough to match his eyes.

“Hey,” he says gently. “I like that you’re so sensitive.”

And he does, he fucking loves that he can kiss Dave and feel the proof of the affect he’s having poking into his thigh. That he can focus his attention on Dave, bring him over the edge again and again.

“I want to,” he assures, wrapping his hand around Dave’s dick and slowly stroking. “I like making you feel good, Dave.”

His lips quirk up slightly. “I don’t know if I could manage twenty-four seven. I’d at least need a snack break.”

He kisses Dave’s jaw, light and reassuring.

“Tell me what you want, babe,” he coaxes. The pet name makes his cheeks burn. “You want my hands again? My mouth? Want me to finger you open? I’ve got some lube in my wallet. I’ll need a bit more time before I could fuck you, though.”

Karkat clearly notices Dave’s discomfort--how could he not? Dave’s cheeks are broadcasting it to the whole fucking world--but instead of mocking him he just says a bunch of nice shit to make Dave feel better, even calling him “babe.”

Dave’s lip threatens to wobble and he bites it. _Fuck, stop it, think sexy thoughts, this isn’t time for another emotional fucking breakdown._ Luckily, Karkat’s got him covered on that front, too. Dave’s mouth drops open at his boyfriend’s willingness to do literally whatever Dave wants. He even seems _happy_ about it. God, how did Dave get so fucking lucky?

“Um, fingering… sounds fucking amazing. If you want to. I washed up real good before our date just in case I got lucky tonight, so you’re all clear to plunder my depths, cap’n.” His mouth twists in amusement despite himself.

Karkat snorts, releasing him and gently pushing him away. He yanks his pants and boxers up and shifts around, sliding down the windshield and urging Dave back onto the roof of the car.

“Can these come off?” he asks, tugging at Dave’s pants.

He’s going to make Dave feel _so_ fucking good. And this time he’s going to take his time, draw it out, until Dave is shaking and desperate. He wants Dave to know how much he appreciates him, how amazing he makes Karkat feel.

Dave almost falls off the car in his eagerness to get his jeans off, but manages to save himself by grabbing onto Karkat’s shoulder.

“Hah, shit, sorry, let me just-- hup--” He regains his balance, tosses his pants and boxers to the side, and faces Karkat again with a smile.

“God, you're so hot.” It slips from his mouth so easily, and he isn't even embarrassed about it-- it's just the fucking truth. He needs his boyfriend to know just how fucking attractive he is. It's honestly a goddamn travesty that Karkat doesn't seem to realize it.

Holy shit, Dave can’t keep saying things like that, letting them roll so easily off his tongue. Karkat’s face reddens and he looks away, strangely shy despite Dave being naked from the waist down and himself being fully clothed.

“ _You’re_ hot,” he says, busying himself by pulling out his wallet and slipping the packet of lube from it. “You’re so fucking handsome it’s hard to look at you sometimes, but it’s just as hard to look away.”

Shit, was that too much? They’re dating now, he shouldn’t be worried about Dave finding out just how much he’s into him.

He grabs one of Dave’s long legs, puts it over his shoulder, and pushes the other one aside, spreading them nice and far. He rips open the packet and squirts the slick liquid onto his fingers, rubbing it between them to get it warmed up a bit.

Dave’s dick bobs proudly in the air as Karkat slips his first finger into him. He’s tempted to take it into his mouth but he refrains. He takes his time working his finger in up to the third knuckle, leaving biting kisses along Dave’s thigh as he goes. Dave’s thighs are smooth and soft and milky and Karkat is going to mark them the fuck up.

Dave’s stomach squirms pleasantly at the praise and he lets Karkat spread him open. He lies flat on his back and gasps softly as Karkat’s finger sinks inside, the touch stoking a delicious, slow heat in his belly.

Karkat starts biting and kissing at his inner thighs and Dave lets out a whimper, clenching and unclenching his hands. He wants to touch himself so badly but he knows he won’t last long and he wants to draw this out as long as he can. Karkat’s finger pushes in deeper and his mouth works skillfully over Dave’s sensitive skin, spiraling him higher and higher until he’s floating on a cloud of arousal.

Little jolts of pleasure-pain shoot up and down his spine whenever Karkat nips at his thighs. He’s vaguely aware that his mouth is making noises but he’s pretty sure none of them have been coherent words, aside from a few curses and “Karkat”s that have slipped through.

“Please, more,” he chokes out, squirmy and desperately horny. He feels even more naked than he did when they had The Full Sex, laid bare under Karkat’s touch with no way to hide how strongly it’s affecting him.

Dave wants more, and who is Karkat to deny him when he’s making such lovely noises and asking so nicely?

He adds his second finger, pushing in and out slowly, a little deeper each time, until he’s up to the third knuckle. He spreads his fingers just slightly, teasingly, and bites a little harder at Dave’s thigh as he does.

“Tell me when you’re close,” he says, leaning forward to breathe on Dave’s dick. His free hand rubs gentle circles into Dave’s leg and he presses his lips lightly to the head of Dave’s cock, a barely there touch. He gives it a few licks, catching the pre-cum on his tongue, just to taste him, and pulls back. He spreads his fingers further inside of Dave, scissoring them in and out in a nice, slow rhythm.

“Feel good, baby?” he asks, purposely avoiding Dave’s prostate as he goes to add a third finger. Fuck, he hopes Dave’s okay with these terms of endearments, because they’re making a new sort of heat spread through him. “Talk to me. Tell me what you want. I’ll give it to you.”

Dave squirms and whines, the pet names and sweet talk going straight to his dick. Karkat’s _still_ not touching his hot spot and it’s the best kind of torture. He needs _more_ , needs Karkat deep inside him, filling him up.

“Yeah, it feels-- hff-- so good, it’s s-so much more sensitive than last time, holy shit, I didn’t even think that was-- ahhff-- possible. Can you like, can you-- I mean I don’t know if you’re ready or anything but if you are, I really want your-- hhh your _cock_ , Karkat, fuuuck, that’s good, ahh-- shit, babe, can you please f-fuck me?”

He grabs at Karkat’s free hand, trying to pull him closer, as if somehow that will make Karkat’s dick magically slip inside him.

Karkat shushes him, pressing a gentle kiss to his leg.

“Not yet, baby,” he says, the name starting to flow easier. He doesn’t have nearly the same refractory period as Dave does, and while his dick is starting to get interested again he still needs more time. “Soon.”

As an apology he searches for Dave’s prostate and grinds his fingers against it, grinning at the way Dave jerks and gasps.

“You just keep making those pretty noises for me,” he says. He’s not good at talking during sex; the one time his words refuse to come easy. He hopes he’s doing this right, that he’s being sexy and not cringey, that his awkward attempts to keep Dave moaning and gasping into the night air don’t completely kill the mood.

But Dave doesn’t laugh or mock him, so it must be acceptable, at least. It only takes a little longer, a bit more of taking Dave apart before Karkat’s dick is straining against his jeans. He pulls his fingers out of Dave and says, “move back, babe.”

He clambers ungracefully back onto the roof of the car and fumbles with his button and zipper.

Karkat’s finger finally finds his cum button and presses on it, _hard_. Dave trembles and gasps, fuck fuck _fuck_ it feels so good.

He blushes all the way from head to toe when Karkat calls his embarrassing noises “pretty,” but if making those noises is gonna get Karkat hard enough to fuck him, then shit, he’ll happily keep humiliating himself.

Even without Karkat touching his dick or focusing on his p-spot, the heat is still building up steadily in Dave’s gut. He closes his eyes, trying to calm his body down, not wanting to cum yet, not until Karkat’s inside him. He breathes a sigh of relief when Karkat finally pulls his fingers out.

Wiggling awkwardly, he scoots back to make room on the roof for both of them, and waits for Karkat to tug his pants down again. The stars twinkle behind Karkat’s head like a really high-quality Snapchat filter, and Dave’s gay little heart throbs as he gazes up at his boyfriend.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs. “Karkat, I--” He bites off the ‘I love you’ that wants to come out, his mouth dry. “You’re amazing.”

Karkat’s breath hitches when Dave calls him beautiful, looking up at him with the fondest expression Karkat’s ever had directed towards him. It’s not true; Karkat’s ugly as fuck, he’s always been ugly and always will, but god if those words don’t do something to him.

He pushes his pants down and awkwardly fights to pull a condom out of his wallet, then rip it open and slide it on. His hands are shaking slightly, eager and nervous, and he lines his dick up and pushes in as slow as he can handle, letting out a loud moan as he bottoms out. He leans forward to kiss Dave while he adjusts.

“You’re perfect, Dave,” he says, resting their foreheads together, breath mingling and staring into his boyfriend’s eyes. Fuck, what the fuck. This is so damn romantic, holy shit. Karkat is so fucking lucky.

Dave moans through the kiss, shivering as he adjusts to the intrusion of Karkat’s thick cock in his ass. It feels amazing, he meets Karkat’s eyes and fuck, _fuck_ he’s so fucking in love. His hand floats up to meet Karkat’s cheek, thumb stroking Karkat’s soft skin as the eye contact drags on and on, god it’s so much, he can’t-- he needs--

“Please.” His voice cracks. “Karkat, please--”

Karkat turns his head, pressing his lips to Dave’s palm as Dave begs for more. He inches his dick out until just the head remains inside, then slowly, languorously, rolls his hips back in. His eyelashes flutter at the sensation and he finds a leisurely pace; nowhere near the fast, brutal strokes of his hand from before.

He’s never gone slow before; it’s an odd feeling, not wanting to rush through this. He got so good at making his partners cum fast that he’s not sure if he’s doing this right.

“You’re so good Dave,” he breathes, a hand slipping up Dave’s shirt, rucking it up as he traverses from his twitching stomach to his chest. “Feels so good.”

His fingers trace around one of Dave’s nipples, light and gentle, until he pinches it suddenly, smirking at the moan it draws out.

Oh, fuck, that’s not _fair_ , Karkat _knows_ how sensitive his nips are. Dave feels so full with Karkat’s cock dragging slowly in and out of him, it’s delicious and overwhelming and way too goddamn good. He moans loudly every time Karkat bottoms out, hisses a gasp at each new touch to his chest.

The head of his dick brushes against Karkat’s shirt as Karkat continues to thrust, and it’s quickly becoming more than he can handle.

“K-Karkat, fuck!” He doesn’t want Karkat to slow down, but he’d told Dave to let him know when he was getting close, and Dave wants so badly to be good for him. “I’m getting c-- hhhh-- _close_ , shit, babe, fuck it’s so good, please, I wanna cum, please let me cum…”

Part of him is really hoping that Karkat denies him, edges him for _hours_ , and another part just wants to blow right now, god dammit. He’s never had somebody focus this much on making him feel good, and he’s discovering that he really fucking likes it.

Whatever Karkat decides to do, Dave knows it’ll be amazing. He trusts Karkat to make them both feel good.

Dave is so goddamn beautiful, arching and begging. Karkat is so tempted to give him what he wants, to let him cum, but more than that he wants to draw this out, make it last. Make Dave feel so good for as long as he can.

He stops moving, letting Dave calm down, back away from the edge. He drops light kisses across Dave’s cheeks, runs a hand reassuringly down his side.

“Not yet, baby,” he says. “I’m not there yet, hold on.”

He waits until Dave’s breath evens out, until he’s no longer twitching and gasping. Then he starts up again, a little faster this time. He pushes Dave’s shirt up further and presses his lips to his chest, right above his heart. Dave is almost naked and Karkat’s fully clothed, pants pulled down to his thighs, and why is that so hot?

His knees are starting to ache, though, and he gets an idea, slowing his hips to a stop and kissing the distressed whine out of Dave’s mouth.

“You wanna ride me, babe?” he asks, running his mouth along Dave’s jaw.

Karkat brings Dave down from the edge, waits until he’s breathing normally again, then goes right back to fucking him nice and easy. Dave’s arousal builds faster this time around and he’s about to warn Karkat that he’s close again when Karkat stops of his own accord. He lets out a frustrated whine despite himself.

Then Karkat asks if Dave wants to ride him, and Dave nods so hard he’s surprised he doesn’t pull a muscle. He lets Karkat pull out and they switch places with some careful maneuvering, so that Karkat’s lying flat on his back and Dave’s kneeling over him.

He sinks down onto Karkat’s cock and slowly starts fucking himself on it. His legs begin to tremble as he builds up speed, getting into a rhythm, fuck, it feels _amazing_. Karkat’s dick is angled away from his prostate in this position, and he thinks maybe he can actually go for a little while without cumming this way.

Karkat’s eyes roll back as Dave sinks onto him and he groans. Dave rolls his hips, moving up and sinking back down faster than Karkat would have fucked him, and he’s tempted to put his hands on Dave’s hips and force him to slow down, but it feels so good like this, and Dave looks so wonderful. He’s flushed and panting, hair sticking to his forehead with sweat. His dick bounces, leaking pre-cum all over Karkat’s shirt.

Karkat reaches out, sliding his hands under the fabric of Dave’s shirt to rub at his sides as he thrusts up, over and over. Dave whines above him and Karkat’s surprised he hasn’t tried to touch himself yet.

“Holy fuck, Dave,” he moans. He braces himself on his elbow and bunches his hand at the hem of Dave’s shirt and pulls it up, revealing his boyfriend’s flushed, heaving chest.

“Bite down,” he says, pushing the fabric into Dave’s mouth so he can see all of him as he bounces on Karkat’s cock.

Oh, fucking _hot_. Dave bites down on the fabric and moans loudly. Having something stuffed in his mouth always makes him horny as all fuck, and he wonders if Karkat somehow knows this, or whether it’s just a sexy coincidence.

Dave’s cock is leaking onto Karkat’s nice shirt and making a total mess but Karkat doesn’t seem to care. He’s looking over Dave with open admiration, like he’s the choicest piece of meat at the butcher’s shop. Dave doesn’t really think his shirtless chest is much to look at; he’s thin and bony and his skin is littered with scars... but Karkat seems to like what he sees. A _lot_ , if the way he’s staring  says anything about it.

It feels good, really good, and Dave really wants to cum, but he’s determined to hold out as long as possible for Karkat. It doesn’t feel shameful this time, though. It’s more like a fun game that he’s playing with himself, and he and Karkat both win either way. Still, his orgasm begins creeping up on him sooner than he wants it to, and he forces himself to slow down again, unable to stop the whines from leaving his mouth.

“Holy fuck, just look at you,” Karkat breathes out, hands travelling up and down Dave’s sides as he moves at his own pace, moans muffled by the fabric in his mouth. “You’re so fucking gorgeous, Dave.”

He thumbs at Dave’s nipples because he knows they’re ridiculously sensitive and gets treated to the wonderful sight of his dick twitching in response. Soon, though, Dave is slowing down, whining, and Karkat pushes himself back up, a hand reaching out to cup his cheek.

“You close again babe?” he asks. When Dave nods he says, “Last time you came three times, you remember that? Think you could do that again? Let me fuck you through it until you’re hard again?”

God he hopes Dave says yes. He wants to see Dave undone, completely unravelled, shaking from too much stimulation but taking more and more regardless.

Dave’s moans are muffled from biting down on his shirt. He keeps up the steady pace as long as he can bear it, but his thighs begin to shake from the effort of going slow.

Letting the shirt drop out of his mouth, he leans down to kiss Karkat hot and sloppy before starting to ride him hard again. He presses his palms to Karkat’s chest to not-so-subtly cop a feel of his own. Karkat’s hands are on Dave’s own nipples, his touch turning Dave’s stomach to molten heat, and he’s so close, so fucking close--

“Touch me, please, ‘Kat,” he begs in a whimper, his rhythmic rocking picking up speed as he races toward his orgasm.

Dave is whining and gasping so beautifully as he picks up the pace, going fast and hard, bracing himself on Karkat’s chest. His mouth is open, face red, hair a mess, and Karkat’s never seen anyone so lovely. When Dave begs him to touch, Karkat reaches up to grip his hair and tug his head back, exposing his long, slender neck.

“You can cum from just my cock, can’t you, baby?” he asks, rocking his hips up to match Dave’s frantic rhythm. “I think you can.”

Karkat’s fingers grip tight in Dave’s hair, forcing his gaze up toward the sky. The stars twinkle against inky black and the sight is god damn _breathtaking_.

“Yeah, yeah, fuck, I can cum, I can do it,” Dave pants, barely aware of what he’s saying.

He feels Karkat’s hand move across his chest again, thumbing at his hard nips as Dave rides his boyfriend with everything he’s got. The molten feeling in his stomach spreads throughout his body and oh, fuck--

“Karkat!!” His thighs shake and stutter as he desperately rides through his orgasm, chasing his high for as long as it lasts. He squeezes his eyes tight, feeling Karkat’s solid body under him, grounding him, _loving_ him. _Fuck_.

Dave tenses, hips rocking as he cums all over Karkat’s shirt, and he’s a vision painted against the night sky. Karkat snaps his hips up, fucking him through it, and Dave collapses against him, mouth open and panting. Karkat doesn’t stop, though, and every thrust elicits a wonderful whimper from the beautiful boy on top of him.

“Did so good, baby,” Karkat praises, hand coming up to gently run through Dave’s damp hair, a soft touch to contrast with the relentless jackhammering of his hips. “Gonna keep being good? Taking my cock so tight and sweet, getting hard from it again?”

He fists his hand in Dave’s hair without warning, tugging his head up so he can kiss him, shoving his tongue past his lips deep and messy.

Dave’s mouth opens loosely to take in Karkat’s tongue, and he mewls into Karkat’s mouth, overwhelmed by the praise, the kissing, the hand in his hair. The way Karkat keeps ramming into him over and over, the delicious drag of his cock inside Dave’s sensitive hole, as he shoves his tongue in Dave’s mouth, _god_ it’s all so _fucking much_. It’s incredible.

He loves Karkat so much, he just wants to be good for him. He nods and whimpers in affirmation, yes, he’ll keep being good, he’ll get hard for Karkat, keep taking his cock so good.

“‘Kat, y’r so good, so perfect n’ sexy,” he slurs. He blinks his eyes open, trying to focus on Karkat’s beautiful face underneath him.

Dave’s voice is slurred and slow and gorgeous, making all kinds of beautiful noises for him. His eyes are glazed and unfocused, cheeks tinted red, and Karkat’s never seen anyone so goddamn attractive. Dave calls him _perfect_ , and Karkat’s eyelids flutter shut at the praise. He slows his pace slightly, releasing Dave’s hair to cup his cheek and kiss him softly.

There’s an _I love you_ thick on his tongue, and he presses it silently into Dave’s mouth. He wants to say it so bad, wants to whisper it in Dave’s ear and yell it into the night; he loves Dave, he’s _in love_ with Dave, but it’s too much, too soon, so he holds back and hopes Dave can feel it in the roll of his hips, their shared breath, the way they fit like they were made for each other, puzzle pieces clicking together.

“So sweet, baby,” he moans. “So good to me.”

He reaches between them, fisting Dave’s oversensitive cock and pumping it, his other hand gripping tight to Dave’s hip, holding him steady as he twitches and jerks from the sensations.

Dave shudders with overstimulation as Karkat’s hand wraps around his dick and begins moving. He’s still soft and it’s too much, it almost hurts-- but it feels good too, and he doesn’t want to stop.

He’s never been with a partner who’s so eager to make him cum over and over, to keep playing with him at the edge of “too much” and “just right.” Typically he relies on his ability to cum multiple times to make up for the fact that he can’t last long for a single round, but it’s usually something he does in service of his partner’s needs, rather than to make himself feel good. Karkat, however, seems like he just can’t get enough of making Dave cum for him over and over. He mumbles sweet things to Dave, praises him, and touches him so perfectly.

Dave realizes with a shock that Karkat actually _gets off_ on making him feel good, and in the end, that’s the thought that takes him from “hhhh this might actually be too much” to “oh shit that feels amazing, please never stop.”

“Fuck, it’s so _good_ , baby,” he sobs, feeling himself slowly growing hard in Karkat’s fist.

He humps weakly up and down, legs feeble and shaky. Part of him is a little embarrassed that Karkat’s doing most of the work right now, but then Karkat shifts and his cock slams up against Dave’s prostate _just right_ and Dave cries out, all traces of self-consciousness drowned out by the intense pleasure.

Dave moves, lethargic and wobbly, muscles trembling, and affection builds in Karkat’s chest. Dave could lay against him, let Karkat work him up and push him back over, and Karkat would heap praise on him regardless, but Dave is still trying, still being so fucking _good_.

“That’s right, baby,” Karkat says encouragingly, thumbing the head of Dave’s hardening cock as he lets out a broken cry. “So fucking amazing, Dave, can’t believe I get to see you like this. So gorgeous.”

His hand moves from Dave’s hip to rub soothingly up and down Dave’s back. Karkat’s orgasm is a long ways away, since he already came once, and he vaguely wonders how many times he could get Dave off before he cums again. How much could Dave handle? Already his eyes are a little wet, tears beading at the edges. Would he let Karkat fuck him through it again and again until he’s a sobbing, drooling mess?

Certainly something to explore later.

For now, Karkat focuses his energy on hitting Dave’s prostate with every thrust, twisting his hand at the tip of Dave’s cock simultaneously and running it back down to the base. He presses a kiss to Dave’s hair.

"Fuck baby, it's so good, please don't stop, god, fuck," Dave babbles, blinking tears out of his eyes as he looks down at Karkat's intense expression.

Dave's body feels like it's about to shake apart as Karkat continues to thrust into him, each time managing to hit the spot that makes Dave's knees go weak. And Karkat's hand on his dick is fucking heaven. All Dave can do is keep humping in a sloppy rhythm, barely keeping pace with Karkat's movements as the good feelings build up in him, a little slower than before, but unmistakably there.

"So good," he sobs, "Karkat, fuck, you're so perfect, perfect for me, feel so good inside..."

Dave calls him perfect again and that embarrassed, hot squirm of arousal spreads through him once more. Praise and pleas fall from Dave’s lips like he has an endless supply, like it’s useless to try to keep them bottled up, as he gasps and cries out. His hand releases Dave’s cock to grab both his hips, digging bruises into his skin as he turns Dave’s stuttering thrusts into something faster, more rhythmic.

“I’ve got you, baby,” Karkat moans. “So fucking good, Dave.”

Dave’s legs are trembling, his dick bobbing against his stomach with every thrust, hands braced on Karkat’s arms like if Karkat wasn’t supporting him he’d collapse entirely and _god_ , that thought is so hot; the idea of Dave being so fucked out he can barely move.

The praise is driving Karkat a little wild, though, pushing him closer to his orgasm quicker than he thought possible. It’s not a pressing concern, not yet, but he slows down considerably, turning his desperate rutting into slow rolls of his hips.

As Karkat holds Dave, fucking into him hard and fast, Dave's helpless curses morph into wordless moans. Before too long, Karkat's slowing down again, but the slowness only seems to amplify the sensation of his dick dragging inside Dave's sensitive hole, and Dave's so close.

Even without Karkat touching his dick he can tell he's about to cum again. He feels dimly embarrassed that it's happening so soon already, but it just feels so good... He holds it back for as long as he can, and then he's gasping and trembling and gripping onto Karkat's biceps, speared on his cock in a moment of ecstasy.

And then it's over, and Karkat is still fucking him and Dave's arms finally give out. He slumps forward, panting and shaking, his face wet with sweat and tears, and presses his face against Karkat’s chest. He wants Karkat to cum, wants it so badly but his whole body is shivering and exhausted and helpless. If Karkat wants his orgasm, it seems like he's just gonna have to take it for himself.

"W'nt you t' cum," he mumbles into Karkat's shirt. "Pl's?"

Karkat is surprised when Dave cums again, face scrunching up adorably as he gasps out a soundless moan, clenching around Karkat’s cock. Tears squeeze out of the corners of his eyes, and then he slumps forward, trembling hard, and Karkat stops his motions, running a soothing hand up and down Dave’s back.

He’s really fucking close, after that, but Dave is more important than getting off. He’s about to reach down and pull himself out when Dave slurs out his request, and fondness blooms in his chest. Fuck, Dave is so much more than he deserves.

“Anything you want, baby,” Karkat says, pressing a kiss to Dave’s sweaty hair and grabbing his ass.

There’s no finesse; just a desperate jackhammering of his hips, ramming into Dave and pulling out high pitched whines every time. It doesn’t take long, with those sweet noises echoing in his ears. He cums with a loud groan, back arching, nails digging into Dave’s skin, a line of pleasure pulled taut through him before it’s cut and he falls back against the metal of the car, panting.

“Holy fuck,” he gasps.

When Karkat stops moving, Dave's whole body feels numb and floaty. He presses himself against Karkat's chest, feeling his strong, fast heartbeat.

Dave's never felt this close to someone before, ever, and it's terrifying and elating at the same time. He shuts his eyes tight as a few more tears slip out, soaking into Karkat's already wrecked shirt. For a long time--or maybe only a few minutes--they just lie there together, breathing in sync.

Slowly, Dave becomes aware of the sticky, uncomfortable wetness between them, and the dull ache of his knees on the car roof starts to become an actual pain. He tries to push himself up but his arms won't cooperate, and he huffs into Karkat's shirt.

"Can't get up," he whines. "Help me, babe, my knees, _ow_."

Karkat stares up at the night sky, hands rubbing up and down Dave’s back as his breathing evens out. He could probably fall asleep right here, pants off, wearing a cum-covered sweater, but Dave moves and his sleepiness fades. Dave tries and fails to get up, and Karkat immediately sits up, manhandling Dave so they’re sitting up. He pulls off his gross sweater, tossing it to the ground.

He removes the condom, tying it off and setting it aside with a grimace. He’ll throw it away in the garbage can near the observatory entrance once they move, but for now he reaches around to gently massage Dave’s knees, pressing kisses to the side of his head and pulling Dave’s back against his chest.

“Fuck, baby, I’m sorry,” he says. He shouldn’t have made Dave kneel on the fucking metal of the car roof for who knows how long. “Are you okay?”

Dave’s shaking has become less intense, but he’s still trembling. He’s probably cold, on top of the physical exhaustion of being fucked through multiple orgasms. Karkat wraps his arms around him, trying to encase him in warmth.

“You wanna get dressed, babe?” he asks. “Think you can stand up? I’ll help you if you can’t.”

Dave couldn’t even push himself to sit up, after all, and Karkat won’t mind supporting his weight and helping him get dressed so he isn’t freezing in the night air.

Dave winces at the aching in his limbs as Karkat moves him, but Karkat's arms around him are comforting and he's massaging Dave's knees so sweetly.

"Mmm, m'okay, just sore." He yawns and shivers. "An' cold, too, gettin' dressed 's prob'ly a good idea."

Karkat asks if he needs help standing, and Dave looks dubiously down at the ground, then at his own weak, shaky legs. It's not a long drop, but it would be pretty stupid to fall and get himself concussed just because he was too fucked-out to stand up properly.

"Might need a hand getting up," he admits sheepishly, resting his head back on Karkat's shoulder. He turns his head slightly to give Karkat's arm a soft kiss. "Y'r the best, you know that?"

Karkat’s heart gives a little squeeze at that and he reaches up to grab Dave’s chin, gently turning his head so Karkat can kiss him square on the mouth. It’s an awkward angle, but getting to kiss Dave again is worth it.

“Give me a second, baby,” he says when he pulls back. He scooches away and drops to the ground, quickly scrambling to get his pants on. He gathers Dave’s clothes up and sets them on the hood of the car, then grabs his sweater and grimaces, deciding to toss it in the back and worry about it later.

“C’mon,” he says, holding his arms out for Dave. “I’ve got you.”

Dave moves forward and Karkat grabs him by the hips, helping him down as Dave braces his hands on his shoulders. He has Dave lean against the car as he helps him into his clothes, kissing his messy hair as he steps back.

“I’ll drive us home, baby.”

He keeps a hand on Dave’s arm as Dave climbs into the passenger seat and gets belted in. He leans down to steal another quick kiss before grabbing the used condom and jogging up to the observatory to toss it in the trash. Gross.

Settling into the seat, Dave watches as Karkat jogs to the trash can and back. Karkat's face looks so cute and serious as he approaches the car, and Dave's heart hammers appreciatively. That's his _boyfriend_.

Karkat starts the car and pulls out of the lot, and Dave watches him drive with a small smile on his lips, his eyes blinking heavily.

He tries to stay awake, he really does, but the rumbling of the engine, the dark night sky, and his exhaustion conspire against him. It's only several minutes before he's snoring lightly in the passenger seat, completely unaware of the world around him.

Dave passes out in the passenger seat almost immediately. His cute snores fill the car as Karkat turns down the music so he doesn’t wake his boyfriend. He’s entirely shirtless behind the wheel of the car which is embarrassing as shit, but it’s late so hopefully not many people will be around and be forced to see his naked torso.

He’s kind of exhausted, too, and it’s a struggle to keep himself focused on the road, but he gets back to campus without any issues. He parks and keeps the car running, turning to look at Dave as he unbuckles himself. His head is resting against the window, face relaxed and Karkat feels a bit like an asshole when he reaches over to gently run a hand down his shoulder.

“Dave, baby,” Karkat says, voice low. “We’re back. Time to wake up.”

Dave struggles to open his eyes, confused and disoriented for a moment. He hears Karkat's voice and feels his gentle touch, though, so he knows he's safe.

His heart swells and he blinks up at his kind, beautiful, sweet boyfriend. Without thinking, he opens his mouth and lets out the words he's been holding back evening.

"Hey, I love you."

There's a beat or two of silence before his brain catches up to his mouth. He freezes stiff with panic--shit, _shit_ , why did he have to say that? How does he consistently manage to ruin anything good in his life with his lack of a verbal filter?

Suddenly completely awake, his heart pounding with adrenaline, he stares down at his hands in his lap and opens his mouth to backtrack, .

"Uh, I mean-- I, fuck, Karkat, uh... um... shit-- Sorry, I didn't mean to say that-- I mean, not that it's not true! Cause it-- uh, it, uh, fuck. Sorry. Shit, I'm so sorry. I just, like, no pressure or anything, you totally don't have to say it back right now, or ever, okay? Fuck. _Fuck_. I'm such a fucking idiot, dammit, god _dammit_."

Unable to look at Karkat, he buries his face in his hands, wishing the car seat would open up and swallow him whole.

Karkat stares with wide eyes, heart pounding in his ears, as Dave says he loves him, then immediately trips over himself to correct his words, then correct them again.

He swallows thickly when Dave hides his face, clearly embarrassed, and Karkat squeezes his arm lightly. He thinks Dave meant it. He _hopes_ Dave meant it, but it’s still nerve wracking to open his mouth and say it back.

“I love you too,” he says, face flaming. “I thought I shouldn’t say anything because it seems fast, doesn’t it? But I’ve… been in love with you for awhile, Dave.”

He’s tempted to cover his own face with his hands. It’s really fucking hot in this car, isn’t it? He chews on his lip and tries to ignore his sweaty palms, letting his arm drop and turning to stare out the window.

This feels like a dream. A very embarrassing, pleasant dream, where Dave says he loves him and _means_ it. Karkat’s lucky enough that Dave agreed to date him; he can’t imagine what Dave sees in him that’s fucking _lovable_. But his heart beats rapidly, hopefully, and he wants to hear Dave say it again and again and again.

"Wait... really?" Dave looks up, his face still hot, his chest tightening with emotion.

Karkat's face is turned away but Dave can still see his blush all the way down his neck and chest, because whoa, Karkat is definitely shirtless right now. Dave gets distracted for a moment admiring the view before he refocuses and grabs Karkat's hand tightly. Their palms are slick and sweaty but he doesn't care.

"Yeah, it does seem fast," he admits. "Honestly I feel crazy for even thinking it, let alone saying it out loud, but... it's... true."

His heart feels like it's going to beat out of his chest and he can't keep a goofy smile from forming on his lips. He reaches up and turns Karkat's face back toward him, making eye contact, his shades tucked away and forgotten in his pocket.

"It's true," he repeats shakily. "I love you, Karkat."

He hesitates, then leans in and kisses his boyfriend on the lips, soft and sweet and full of meaning.

Karkat can’t bring himself to look at Dave as he talks, until Dave reaches over and grabs his chin to _make_ him look. Dave’s vibrant eyes are crinkled at the corners with a beautiful smile and Karkat’s heart trips over itself as Dave repeats himself and leans in for a brain-melting kiss.

His eyes slip close, hand coming up to cup Dave’s cheek, thumb swiping across the freckles on his cheekbone as he sighs into the kiss. He doesn’t think he’s ever been fucking happier than he is right now.

They part slowly, retreating barely an inch. They share quiet breaths and Karkat smiles, soft and genuine.

“I love you, Dave,” he says. “I love you so fucking much.”

He leans back in his seat, sappy grin still on his face.

“I know it’s not really first date etiquette,” Karkat says, like they didn’t throw that out the window the second the clothes started coming off. “But I don’t really want this to end yet. Do you wanna uh. Sleep together? Just sleep.”

 _Obviously_ just sleep. They both have roommates, jesus. Why is Karkat so fucking awkward, even now?

Dave's heart is pounding but his mind is still and calm. He just feels... _right_. Like this is exactly where he's supposed to be, where he was meant to end up all along.

"Of course I wanna sleep together." He kisses Karkat on the nose, then leans back to admire his adorable grin. "What do you think, your room or mine?"

He can't wait to cuddle up to Karkat in bed and share the same space all night. He yawns, tired down to his bones, letting his thumb stroke softly over Karkat's hand where they're clasped together.

Fuck, Dave is adorable when he’s tired and yawning and holding Karkat’s hand. Karkat smiles at him, expression soft.

“Mine,” he says. “I don’t want to deal with Sollux’s stupid smug face tonight.”

He also doesn’t want to have to deal with Sollux being up all night tapping away at his keyboard. Asshole.

Karkat reluctantly pulls his hand away from Dave and reaches back to grab his sweater, then gets out of the car. He moves quickly to the other side to open up Dave’s door, in case his legs are still wobbly. They don’t seem to be, but they do seem sore, if Dave’s wince is anything to go by. Karkat wraps an arm around his waist and keeps it there until they’re at Karkat’s door.

“Do you wanna grab some pajamas?” he asks. “You could wear some of mine.”

Thinking of Dave in his clothes makes his heart pound. He doubts his pants will reach Dave’s ankles, and maybe they won’t even stay up on his thin waist, but Dave could always sleep in his boxers and one of Karkat’s sweaters. That would be cute as shit.

"Mmm, yeah, wanna borrow your clothes," Dave says. "Bet they'll smell good too, just like you."

Wow, apparently he has even less of a filter when he's sleepy, but he's too fucking tired to even be embarrassed about it. Anyway, Karkat deserves to know how good and sexy he smells. Dave leans in and kisses Karkat's neck, then sniffs him loudly.

"Yep, just like I said, fuckin' delicious."

Karkat blushes so hard he feels his heartbeat in his face. He’s pretty sure he smells terrible, after a long day and significant activity that built up such a sweat. But Dave’s words leave him incredibly flustered and he stumbles out a few false starts before clearing his throat.

“Uh, thanks,” he says lamely, turning away to hide his face as he opens the door.

His roommate is absent, for now, and Karkat quickly digs out his favorite sleep shirt to pass to Dave before grabbing his own pajamas. They’ve seen each other naked multiple times now but it still feels weird, stripping while Dave watches him. At least he gets to enjoy seeing Dave pull his clothes off, too.

The shirt is baggy as fuck, slipping off one of Dave’s shapely shoulders and showing off all the pretty marks Karkat left on his skin.

“You can keep that,” Karkat says, mouth dry. “If you want.”

He crawls into bed and opens his arms invitingly, grinning when Dave joins him, curling up comfortably on his chest. He runs a large hand up and down Dave’s back.

Dave makes a mental note to fluster Karkat as frequently as he possibly can, because holy shit his blush is adorable.

He tugs Karkat's sweatshirt over his head. It's oversized and soft and smells amazing, and he never wants to take it off ever again. As if reading his mind, Karkat tells Dave he can keep it, and Dave grins, getting into bed after him.

"Hell fucking yes, this shirt is so comfy I don't think I'm ever gonna wear anything else for the rest of my life. Hope you weren't planning on taking me anyplace fancy for our next date, cause I'm gonna show up wearing your PJ's and nothin' else," he says.

Wrapping his arm around Karkat's stomach, he cuddles closely into his chest and takes a deep breath, inhaling the comforting scent all around him.

He sighs happily. "God, I can't believe how lucky I am. Can't believe you're my actual real life boyfriend. You're so amazing, perfect, sweet, sexy... shit, you're just so _good_ , it's too much to handle--"

A wide yawn cuts him off mid-compliment. Damn, he wants to stay awake and keep telling Karkat how amazing he is but he's just so goddamn tired. His eyes droop closed and his breathing begins to even out, and before he knows it, he's fast asleep, unaware of anything but the warmth of Karkat beneath him, their heartbeats mixing together like tracks on a record.

Dave compliments him like it’s his personal goal to get Karkat hard _again_ , and Karkat squirms, face hot. He can’t believe Dave actually thinks those things about him. His first thought is that he’s tricked him, somehow, and Dave will realize it eventually. But Dave _knows_ him; they’ve been friends for months and Dave knows that Karkat’s moody and has no volume control and is obnoxiously overbearing and he likes him anyway. _Loves_ him anyway.

His throat feels tight, so the only response he gives is a gentle kiss to Dave’s hair as his gorgeous boyfriend falls asleep on his chest. Karkat will tell him how perfect and amazing and wonderful he is tomorrow, will drag him out to get overpriced coffee and bagels, and will start subtly wheedling ideas for their next date out of Dave. It will have to be fucking amazing, but Karkat doesn’t think anything will ever top this one.

For now, though, Karkat breathes in Dave’s scent, enjoys the feel of his boyfriend’s weight draped over him, and falls asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Karkat: [@AAdoxography](https://twitter.com/AAdoxography)  
> Dave: [@alldavekat](https://twitter.com/alldavekat)
> 
> come say hi in the [davekat discord server](https://discord.gg/wGqTQmN) (18+)!


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